Over 300 Homes Identified As Empty In Adur As Housing Crisis Worsens

A senior councillor has been grilled over empty council houses.

Carson Albury (Con, Manor) whose portfolio includes housing, was interviewed during a joint overview and scrutiny committee on Thursday  (September 22).

One of the key topics of discussion was ‘voids’ – or empty council houses.

A freedom of information request to Adur District Council last September revealed that there were 34 voids in the district.

Councillors asked why the homes have been sitting empty for months after concerns from residents.

Pictured: one of the buildings that Shoreham residents say has been empty for some time, Google 2

Some of them live near empty properties which can be a blight on the neighbourhood and contribute to a shortage of affordable housing.

Carol Albury (Con, Manor) said:

“It doesn’t look good on Adur when we are reading [about voids] in almost every road on social media.

“There were houses from Adur that were void for not just for a month or so but lengthy times.”

Mr Albury explained that the current state of council housing stock and bills left by previous tenants can hamper progress towards re-letting the properties.

“We used to be left with electricity bills of £2,000 and of course the electricity company wouldn’t turn the properties back on until it was paid,” he said.

“A lot of our stock is not in the best condition.”

Housing officers added that, under normal circumstances, 90 per cent of the voids would be back available within ten days.

However, they said this was the ‘other way round’ in Adur, with ’90 per cent’ of council properties needing major works like new central heating and windows.

Pictured: one of the buildings that Shoreham residents say has been empty for some time, Google

Mandy Buxton (Con, Churchill) is an Adur Homes tenant herself and asked what could be done to stop incoming tenants from footing the bill for repairs.

“Today I’ve spent nearly £6,000 putting right damage that the previous tenant had done to the property,” she said.

Mr Albury said the council is currently inspecting homes and gardens to assess their condition.

“If someone has a secure tenancy and they don’t take care of their garden, they don’t take care of the flat itself or the house itself, Adur’s only recourse to get them to do anything is eviction,” he said.

“That’s the difficulty of being a social landlord.

“I would say 95 per cent of our tenants do follow the legislation and they do take care of their properties and they have very good relations with Adur. 

“But we have some tenants who just let the property go.”

Research by lettings company Rightmove recently named Adur as the least affordable place in the country for first time buyers and a local agency says empty properties can push prices up further.

In April, Oakley Property estimated that there were 339 empty homes in Adur – 207 of which had been empty for more than six months.

“It’s a real shame that many local properties are empty for over six months when there is an increasing demand for accommodation,” said a spokesperson.

Oakley believes there are a number of reasons behind what it has called ’empty home syndrome’, including council homes being ‘trashed’ by previous tenants; lengthy renovations; probate; or the owner moving to a care home.