Unlocking the

potential of London’s
Empty Homes

The Empty Homes Agency is an

independent campaigning charity, which exists
to highlight the waste of empty property
in England and works with others to devise
and promote sustainable solutions to
bring empty property back into use.
contents Unlocking the potential of
London’s Empty Homes
The Empty Homes Agency

Introduction

Part one
The London Empty Property Hotline

Part two
Empty Property Charter

a A commitment to tackle empty property within the housing

strategy with challenging targets for getting properties back
into use

b A clear method of reporting empty properties

c A dedicated empty property officer

d A properly funded private housing assistance policy with

the flexibility to offer grants to owners of empty property

e Publicity about “ carrots and sticks” for empty

property owners

f Regular communications and information for empty

property owners

g A regular survey of empty property owners

h A private sector leasing scheme

i A joint multi agency approach to empty property work

j A private sector enforcement policy with a commitment if

all else fails to using enforcement to bring properties back
into use

Part three
Useful Information
 introduction
Things have not quite
been the same for the
campaign on empty
homes since that front-
page headline in the
Financial Times on 10th
May 2004. This exclusive
report highlighted that
the Government was
prepared to introduce
new legislation to tackle
the problem of long-term
private empty homes.

After a long running

campaign for compulsory
leasing led by the Empty
Homes Agency, with
strong support from a
wide array of
organisations such as
British Property
Federation, the Transport and General Workers’ Union, the
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, The Mayor of London
and Shelter, and after a public consultation, we finally got
Government support for action on empty homes.

Yet this support was not confined to the Government. We also

built up close links with the Conservatives and the Liberal
Democrats, which both moved amendments to the Housing Bill
on empty homes.

At the time of writing the Government was still to move their

amendment to the Housing Bill on Empty Dwelling
Management Orders. Yet we are confident that this new
measure will be an important new tool for local authorities in
their work on empty homes.

1
And this prospective legislation has encouraged local
authorities across the country to think again about how they
are tackling this issue. This is nowhere more the case than in
London. Historically London has been at the forefront of work
to tackle empty homes and this focus has seen the number of
empty homes in the capital steadily reduce over the years.
Yet there are still just under 100, 000 empty homes in London,
and over 40,000 of these are in private hands and have been
empty for more than six months. With such demand for
housing, we clearly have to keep building on this successful
track record on empty homes.
For this reason we are launching our new Local Authority
Empty Homes Charter – a clear and simple document of the
activities that we would like all local authorities to commit to in
their work on empty homes. We believe that if a local authority
gives active consideration to all the actions in our Charter they
will make a breakthrough on empty homes.
This will be good news for people in need of housing, for local
communities which lose the eyesore and crime potential of
empty homes, and for owners who will gain even more benefit
from their property.
information on this important service for London in the first
part of his report.
What has been interesting about the hotline over the last year
has been the increasing number of owners reporting their own
properties. This has been a welcome development and we have
been very keen to work with these owners. Part of this success
has been our new advertising targeting owners directly – a
copy of our latest publicity campaign can be found in the
section ‘A clear method of reporting empties’.
But above all else nothing would have been achieved in
London without the invaluable work of the Borough’s empty
property officers. These are the unsung heroes in the campaign
on empty homes. They deserve our support and
encouragement – they are the people who will deliver for us on
empty homes in the capital.
Jonathan Ellis
Chief Executive
Empty Homes Agency

Our new Charter can be found in the second part of this report
and we hope that it serves to help local authorities as they
tighten their focus on empty homes.

Yet the great fact about London is that we are building on a

strong foundation of success. Our report over the next few
pages sets out the achievements of a number of London
Boroughs on empty homes.

Another critical factor in this work has been the London

Empty Property Hotline. This local rate number has given all
Londoners one number to report empty homes. There is more

2
The London Empty

part one
Property Hotline
Desmond Kilroy, Project Manager,
Empty Homes Agency
Context

By 1996, twelve London boroughs had developed an empty

property strategy. By Spring 1997, twenty boroughs were
either implementing one, or were at an advanced stage
of development.

The Association of London Government welcomed this and in

May 1997 called for the development of a London-wide empty
property strategy, which would complement and reinforce the
local action taken by individual London boroughs.

Discussions with the Association of London Government, the

Housing Corporation (London Region), and London’s Empty
Property Officers, suggested that a London-wide Empty Homes
Hotline would help facilitate earlier action by owners on empty
homes. The Housing Corporation agreed to fund the Hotline
and the Empty Homes Agency.

Ownership of empty homes does not follow borough

boundaries. Most owners of empty homes are private members
of the public and not professional landlords. It was felt that a
London-wide Hotline, dedicated to helping owners, would be a
major catalyst in securing re-occupation.

Often the empty homes information that is reported by the

general public to the boroughs is inaccurate or anecdotal.
Much time is wasted. The Empty Homes Hotline would seek to
sift out inaccurate reports, to ensure that boroughs can
effectively target their limited time and resources.

3
How It Works

It helps facilitate earlier action by owners

of empty properties as well as providing
a single point of contact for any member
of the public to report an empty home
or property thus increasing the
information base available to boroughs.

The Hotline refers accurate information

to designated officers within the London
Boroughs on empty properties within
their boundaries; by acting as a
buffer/filter it sifts out enquiries and
reports that are insufficiently detailed or
inaccurate – thus saving the Boroughs
time and minimising abortive work.

The Hotline’s free advice service is

primarily dedicated to helping owners of empty property and
members of the public who wish to report houses that are
empty. It advises owners on the grants and services that may
be available to them, including housing association leasing
schemes, rent guarantee schemes and purchase schemes.
Where Boroughs are unable, or unwilling, to help owners, the
Hotline staff are frequently able to do so.
Seven Year Itch
The London Empty Property Hotline, now in its seventh year of
operation continues to provide a unique one-stop-shop advice
service to London’s landlords and residents. Working with the
private sector as well as the larger Housing Associations and
London boroughs can provide owners with independent advice
on all of the options available to them. We are also of course
especially keen to hear from people who know of a long term
empty home.
Many owners contacting the Hotline directly are interested in
the rent guarantee schemes offered in the public sector as well
as the grants and other services available to them. This is
increasingly relevant due to the instability in the buy to let
market across the capital. In this sense, the work of the Hotline
is as much preventive, as it is about tackling existing empty
properties. Publicity and services provided by the Hotline are
largely shaped by the London Empty Property Officers Forum
(LEPOF), which is administered by the Agency. All London
Boroughs are automatically LEPOF members and receive the
support of the Agency. LEPOF’s primary objective is to raise
standards all round and to channel operational information
from Empty Property Officers directly to the policy makers. The
Forum is one of several regional forums in existence across the
country, which helps shape Empty Homes Agency
developments and campaigns.

4
Local Authority Empty

part two
Property Charter
Over the last few years, the Empty Homes Agency has worked with local
authorities across the country to bring empty homes back into use to meet
housing need. Based on this wide experience of existing good practice, we
have developed our Local Authority Empty Property Charter. We firmly
believe that if all local authorities gave active consideration to all the points
in our charter, we could bring even more empty homes back into use.

Empty Property Charter:

All Local Authorities should have:

a. A commitment to tackle empty property within the housing strategy

with challenging targets for getting properties back into use.

b. A clear method of reporting empty properties

c. A dedicated empty property officer

d. A properly funded private housing assistance policy with the flexibility

to offer grants to owners of empty property

e. Publicity about “carrots and sticks” for empty property owners

f. Regular communications and information for empty

property owners

g. A regular survey of empty property owners

h. A private sector leasing scheme

i. A joint multi agency approach to empty property work

j. A private sector enforcement policy with a commitment if all else fails

to using enforcement to bring properties back into use

5
a. A commitment to tackle empty property within the partnerships with a number of different partners to deliver their

housing strategy with challenging targets for getting objectives. The Best Value Performance Indicator that governs

properties back into use. empty property work is the BVPI64.

As the issue of empty homes races up the political agenda, Writing an empty property strategy requires strategic thinking

more and more local authorities are realising that to have an at a corporate level and quite often the empty property officer

empty property strategy is not only to earn kudos but also a does not have the time or is able to command the corporate

vital tool with which to address the problem. However local commitment. Some local authorities employ an empty property

authority resources are limited and a good empty property officer simply to write their empty property strategy despite the

strategy needs to be written with corporate commitment; an fact that they might not have written one before. As the empty

in-depth understanding of the local housing market and a clear property strategy should be the working tool for the next two

picture of how empty homes contribute to the economic to five years this is, in effect, asking the empty property officer

growth/decline of an area. to write their own work plan. This can also lead to difficulties
as the local authority finds it needs to justify expenditure to

Re-using empty properties is more than just a housing issue. fund the post of empty property officer before they had even

An empty property creates an eyesore and is a magnet for drafted an empty property strategy. A more effective way

vandals and fly-tippers. It also devalues its neighbouring forward is to write the strategy and then employ the resources

properties. If not dealt with the area falls into a spiral of to carry it through.

decline as more properties become empty and people leave the

area. In areas of high demand those in housing need are
placed in bed & breakfast and temporary accommodation or
simply sleep on the streets while both redundant commercial
and residential properties suitable for housing stand empty – a
wasted housing resource.

Empty property work can only be effectively addressed as

a corporate response and one built on healthy working
partnerships. The issue needs joined up thinking, creativity,
innovation and flexible funding. Moreover without an effective
pooling of resources, the empty property will remain in
effective so thus thwarting the aims and objectives of the
Best Value process.

The philosophy of Best Value – a regime imposed on LA ‘s in

recent years - is that resources from a number of different
sources should be effectively deployed. Best Value means the
LA taking the initiative in creating working strategic

6
Case Study – City of Westminster
Westminster’s Empty Property Team has been established
since 1995. It forms an integral part of the Councils Housing
Strategy. It has full member support across all parties. It is
signed up to by the following departments,
• Council Tax
• Environmental health
• Housing Benefit
• Planning
• Building Control
• Chief Executive
• Communications
This is evidenced by the joint working initiatives
between departments. For example, on an average case,
the empty property officer will contact colleagues in the
following departments:
• Council Tax to establish length of time empty and
ownership details
• Environmental health. To discuss environmental issues
such as rubbish removal, rodent infestation and the
possibility of issuing notices. Joint visits are also done
• Planning to discuss viability of proposed plans, also to
take enforcement action where necessary and again joint
visits are sometime done
• Building control where there is a structural problem,
again joint visits done
• Communications to publicise particularly good stories,
such as 396-398 Harrow Road, London W9, which is on
the EHA website as a good practice example from the
recent Week of action.
Westminster has historically had great success in using
enforcement as a tool to bring empty property back into use,
particularly through its Compulsory Purchase programme. In
7
recent years, with the addition of a dedicated empty
property officer as well as a compulsory purchase manager,
more options have been utilised. The current methods used
in various cases are:
• General advice and assistance to owners including
financial where permissible
• Leasing schemes via RSL ’s and Private Sector Leasing via
the authority
• A pilot authority for compulsory leasing once legislation
is in place
• Grant funding for empty property
• Housing Association grant schemes
• Planning/Environmental Health enforcement action
• Compulsory purchase
Making the strategy more comprehensive by using the full
range of options available, has added value, and allowed the
local authority to be more flexible in their approach.
In practice, this has allowed Westminster to devise tailor
made solutions for owners, leaving them more satisfied with
the service we provide.
Westminster invites feedback from owners on the types of
schemes they offer, and where this could be improved.
Because of the one to one service the empty property officer
makes available to each owner, it is possible for all owners to
provide feedback on the strategy in their individual cases.
The empty homes target has recently been made a civic
renewal target at Westminster, making it one of the core
targets the council seeks to achieve. This has made the
strategy very high profile in the work of the authority overall.
For further details of the scheme please contact
Steve Bradley at the Westminster City Council
- please see Part 3 - Useful Information for contact details.
b. A clear method of reporting empty properties
The presence of empty homes in a community is very often the
source of much local irritation. It is important that local people
have a mechanism to channel this frustration, and that this
mechanism is well promoted.
In London there is already the Empty Property Hotline (see
previous chapter). The Empty Homes Agency has worked with
London Boroughs over the years to promote this way of
reporting empty homes.
Case Study - Enfield
This 4-bedroom house was last occupied in 1976 and had
been empty for 25 years. A caller reported the property to
the London Empty Homes Hotline and the information
was passed onto the London Borough of Enfield. Prior to
the referral the Borough had not been aware of this
empty property.
The owner had initially lived in the property for around half a
year and then moved out. Over time the house went to rack
and ruin.
Enfield’s Empty Property Officer, Dave Carter, then tracked
down the owner. The owner did not want the hassle of
doing anything with this property. Yet he agreed for the
Borough to take action when he was offered a renovation
grant .In return, the Borough got a 5-year nomination
agreement allowing them to use the house to meet housing
need in the Borough.
8
Such a reporting mechanism will help a local authority target
the empty homes in their patch. The case study below shows
how this information can be used by a local authority.
It is also an important way that local authorities can be alerted
about empty properties, where these were not known about
from other sources
Despite various setbacks throughout the process, (which
included a couple coming forward falsely claiming that they
were the actual owners of the property) the work has now
been completed.
Now Mrs. Mills has moved into this property. She and her
three children had been in cramped bed and breakfast
accommodation since August 2001 with just two rooms to
themselves. “So far it has been a good move for us,” said
Mrs. Mills, “and we now have a three bedroom house.”
This 25 year-old empty home has now been restored and is
helping to meet housing need in London. And it all took one
call to the London Empty Homes Hotline.
For further details of the scheme please contact Dave Carter
at the London Borough of Enfield
- please see Part 3 - Useful Information for contact details.
 Last year the Agency ran a very
successful London Bus
advertisement campaign with the
support of the Mayor and seven
local authorities. This year we hope
to imitate the success with a
London Underground advertisement
campaign, that has again been
supported by the Mayor as well as
the following local authorities:
Camden, Croydon, Islington,
Lambeth, Tower Hamlets and
Waltham Forest.

9
c. A dedicated empty property officer

The Empty Homes Agency was pleased to note that the Select Committee on Empty Homes valued the role of a specialised empty
property officer(s). We share the view of the importance of a clear senior commitment from the Council and the importance of this
role. We would also emphasise the importance of such staff having adequate budgets to carry out the empty property strategy. We
have worked with the Local Government Association and the National Association of Empty Property Practitioners to promote this
important role.

EMPTY PROPERTY OFFICER DRAFT JOB DESCRIPTION works by private contractors on behalf of the Council,
and to certify that all contractors accounts are correct
JOB PURPOSE for payment.

1. To maximise the best use of the borough’s private sector 5. To determine eligibility and calculate costs of grant
housing to meet local housing need, by facilitating the applications, and to recommend grant approvals and
return of empty privately owned properties to use and payments; To verify the proper execution of grant
providing a supply of affordable and social housing. aided works.

2. To exercise such powers and duties under Housing, 6. To develop and maintain knowledge of the law as it
Public Health or similar legislation as the Council relates to private sector housing, and of the services
may authorise. provided for private sector residents by other parts of
the Council.
3. To participate in projects to develop strategies policies
and procedures requiring private housing and empty 7. To develop and maintain knowledge of building
property input. construction and to understand the options available for
renovation and conversion. To assess the suitability of a
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES property to meet housing need.

1. To identify and investigate empty properties and respond
to requests and enquiries.
2. To act as an authorised officer of the Council for such
purposes as may be delegated.
3. To prepare, cost, serve and enforce notices; To assist the
PPHSO in resolving appeals against such notices, and in
instigating and pursuing the prosecution of persons
failing to comply with notices; To prepare and present
evidence in court and at Public local Inquiries.
4. To instigate and supervise the tendering, instruction and
execution of environmental housing and other relevant
8. To develop and maintain knowledge of construction
and Health and Safety legislation relevant to private
sector housing.
9. To develop and maintain a full knowledge of the policies
and procedures relevant to environmental housing
casework, and to implement them as appropriate.
10. To identify where current policies or procedures are
inadequate and to participate in the development of
new policies and procedures for Environmental Housing
casework or other issues as required.

10
 11. To develop and maintain good relationships with
stakeholders including landlords, Registered Social
Landlords, the local community and businesses.
12. To represent and promote the views of the Borough’s
Housing Strategies and in particular the Private Sector
Housing Strategy.
13. To promote, develop, implement and defend all relevant
Council wide strategies including ‘Service delivery’ and
‘Equality of Opportunity’.
d. A properly funded private housing assistance
policy with the flexibility to offer grants to owners
of empty property
Many owners of empty property need some financial assistance
to bring property back into use. Usually this takes the form of
grants but other assistance can be used too. All local
authorities must publish a housing assistance policy in order to
be able to offer grants, loans, equity release and other forms of
assistance. Make sure that empty properties are properly
covered in your policy. Its also important to properly promote
the assistance you offer.
Grants are often the most effective form of assistance they
encourage the owner to bring the property back into use. In
return the local authority can negotiate nomination rights to
that property for an agreed time. In arguing for or empty
property work to be covered by your housing assistance policy
you need to
consider the following:
* Does the area have empty properties that as a wasted
housing resource?
* Is there funding available for allocation in the general
grant pot?
11
14. To develop and maintain knowledge and understanding
of how to use information technology, and to use all
equipment, including new technology, relevant to the
efficient execution of duties.
15. To participate in agreed training within the Services
‘Career Development’ structure and otherwise, and to
assist in providing training for staff as appropriate.
16. To work within any of the Services Teams as
required, and to participate in team meetings and
casework reviews.
* Is there a housing need in the area?
* What area should we target?
* What are the market conditions like in the area?
* Is there a saturation of one type of housing?
* What sort of investment do I want to attract? Private
or public?
* What is likely to be the return on the LA investment of a
grant? Aside from the housing provision will it bring in
other advantages?
* If we offer grants to private landlords shall we attach
conditions that they should only be used for key worker
accommodation - or that the rents are capped?
* If the area already has a saturation of both private and
social rented should we consider also offering grants for
private resale afterwards?
When grants are made available it is important to then use the
most effective channels to communicate with the empty
property owners – See section 6 on ‘ Regular Communications
and Information for empty property owners’.
Case Study - Brent

2003 – 2004 INITIATIVE TO ACQUIRE LARGE PRIVATE SECTOR

PROPERTIES THROUGH
THE COUNCILS EMPTY PROPERTIES GRANT SCHEME.

In order to meet the ODPM target of having no families in bed and

breakfast accommodation for over six weeks, Brent introduced
many initiatives.

One such initiative, as a working partnership between the Empty

Properties Team, the Bed & Breakfast Project Team, our RSL Partners
and owners of private sector properties was to convert loft
space(s) to provide much needed larger size accommodation.
Brent was faced with a severe shortage of self-contained 4 & 5
bedroom units thus leading to an unnecessarily prolonged stay in
non-secure bed and breakfast accommodation for larger families.

As a result of direct Empty Property Team work 154 properties were

brought back into use. This included 22 loft conversion properties,
providing much needed 4/5 bedroom, good quality homes.

This loft conversion initiative made the best and most effective
use of spacious properties, providing high quality
accommodation for larger families and effecting considerable
long-term financial savings to the council. Of the average £27,000
cost of a loft conversion, £12,500 grant was paid by the council,
the balance being met by the private sector owner, in addition to
full decorations and furnishing.

For further details of the scheme please contact

Driss Charrouf at the London Borough of Brent
- please see Part 3 - Useful Information for contact details.

12

Case Study - Lewisham
Lewisham views the development of flats above shops as key
to meeting housing need in the borough. A capacity study in
1999 suggested more than 10,000 homes could potentially
be developed from flats above shops and from commercial
premises around the borough. A question that has been
posed to planners and local councillors at a jointly organised
seminar with town planners on empty shops was, if at the
height of an economic boom and growth and low
unemployment and high numbers of business start ups,
shops are still remaining empty, we have to question when, if
ever, these properties are ever going to come back into use.
Lewisham like many London boroughs has many Victorian
secondary shopping parades. Many of these parades are in
decline and are traders struggling. A high proportion of these
shops are empty, adding to a sense of dilapidation and
decline. In the past local traders would have lived above their
business. This began to change in the 1950’s and now it is
rare occurrence.
Lewisham is determined to reverse the decline of many of
its secondary shopping centres and parades. Many poorer
and people, and disproportionately women, are dependent
of their local shops. Flats above shops are a rich vein to
tap into and potential homes for those in housing need.
More than 15,000 people are on the borough’s housing
register and 6,000 tenants are waiting for a transfer.
Hundreds of households are in hostel accommodation and
temporary housing.
Traditionally Lewisham was one of the cheaper places in
London. No longer. Even a one bedroom flat above a shop is
£100K or more. Those on average earnings in the borough
are now unable to afford even the most modest of homes.
Flats above shops, behind shops and the conversion of long
standing empty shops in secondary parades are viewed as
primary targets. Homes for sharers, temporary
13
accommodation, homes for key workers and young people.
Affordable homes for those in housing need. Having people
living above shops is seen as a major way of tackling crime
and the fear of crime. Restoring life to shopping parades and
helping sustain local traders.
Lewisham has set aside half its £500K empty homes grant to
help “pump prime” the development of partnership
schemes. Close working with housing associations has been
the key. Flats above shops are being created from former
storage and warehouse space, and former dilapidated
unimproved flats are being upgraded. In many cases the new
build of additional floors above businesses is taking place.
An additional source of information and networking has
arisen from working closely with the borough’s three town-
centre managers. Regular articles in local newsletters about
developing empty space above commercial premises have led
to a flood of interest.
The nature of the high street is changing rapidly. Increasingly
people are shopping in retail parks and out of town shopping
centres. Via the internet and from shopping catalogues.
Traders and businesses are increasingly reviewing the stock
they hold and questioning the space they occupy. Firms are
seeing the development of flats above as an additional
source of rental income, helping to sustain the business,
especially in the competitive trading conditions of the current
high street.
In Lewisham, two examples bare this out. A lighting
company used to import lighting fittings from China, to its
warehouse in Harton Street, Deptford. It now sends these to
Bellmarsh prison for assembly and uses its factory simply as a
distribution centre. As a result its warehouse has been
converted into 12 flats. Another business in Deptford
Broadway, use to repair and restore second hand furniture.
Now it holds this stock in a distribution warehouses. Sending
the furniture direct to customers. Again the business has
developed flats from empty warehouse space.
 e. Publicity about “carrots and sticks” for empty
property owners
Case Study - Lewisham (continued)
When a local authority has developed its empty property
So successful have Lewisham been in developing flats
strategy and identified a budget for empty property grants, it is
above shops that the disposal and collection of rubbish
important that the local authority communicates both the
is becoming a growing problem. Recently it held a
‘carrots and the sticks’ to empty property owners.
seminar on the issue, inviting local landlords, traders
and stakeholders along. As a result the authority is
looking to pilot the collection of rubbish on the same Such owners need clarity on what help and incentives are
day in areas of the borough where there is a heavy available to them. It is also helpful to inform them of the
concentration of flats above shops. underlying threat of enforcement if they do not take action
with their empty property.
A quite and unnoticed revolution is taking place in many
of the secondary shopping parades in the borough. At
12. the start
Change ofsection
section the process,
number the owner should be very clear as
to ‘e’ to ‘e’
12. Change number
Areas of the borough that were once dominated by to the possible future scenarios for their property
Change diagram to:
Change diagram to:
boarded up and empty shops, shops often covered in
graffiti are being transformed. With little fanfare, CARROTS STICKS
planners are starting to allow the conversion of long
standing empty shops into residential use.

Previously planners would only allow conversions of

shops at the ends of parades of shops. Now residential
units are being allowed to be peppered along a
GRANTS
secondary parade. The example set by Nottingham is Councils give their grants to
repair and refurbish empty
being followed. People are being allowed to live above, homes. They can also give
grants to convert an unused
behind and in between shops. Whole swathes of the space above a shop into a
home.
borough are being regenerated and local shops being
sustained. Additional council tax revenue is being LOANS
Under the Regulatory Reform
generated for the borough and rental income for Order councils can now offer
low rate loans to owners.
traders. The character and appearance of many parts of
Lewisham is changing rapidly. Pockets of the borough, HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS
especially in Honar Oak and Hither Green, are taking on CAN RENT, MANAGE, OR
BUY AN EMPTY HOME
REPAIR NOTICES
If a property is in a state of
disrepair, the council’s
Environmental Health depart-
ment can order repair work to
be carried out.
ENFORCED SALE
If the council pays for repair
work on an empty home, and
the owner fails to meet the
costs, the council can enforce
sale of the property to recoup
the cost of repair work.
Through sale, the property can
be brought back into use.

the flavour and appearance of a continental town. The A Housing Association can
provide grants to repair and
former solid uninterrupted parade of shops is becoming refurbish empty homes. In
return for grant assistance the
COMPULSORY PURCHASE
ORDERS
owner lets the property to the
a thing of the past. All we need now is the tram housing association for an
Where the owner of an empty
homes cannot be traced or
agreed time.
network to be extended from Beckenham to make the refuses to act on an empty
eyesore property, the council
picture complete! can take possession of the
property with a compulsory
HELP AND ADVICE FOR
OWNERS purchase order. The council
Councils can give help and will put the property on the
For further details of the scheme please contact Nick advice to owners of empty
homes about their property
market or sell to a local housing
association. Often the threat of
Long at the London Borough of Lewisham - please see options. Many councils employ
an Empty Property Officer who
a compulsory purchase order
will be enough to encourage an
can give advice on grants and owner to take action.
Part 3 - Useful Information for contact details. information about selling or
letting a property.

14
Case Study – Ealing
Eight months ago Marie Kamara and her six-year-old son
were living in bed and breakfast accommodation in Ealing,
west London. Today, they’re in a much happier situation after
Ealing Council moved them into a refurbished two-bedroom
flat in the borough.
But Marie’s new home in Northolt is not a council property.
It’s a private dwelling, one of early 1,000 that we have
helped bring back into use over the last 12 months for
families in B&B and hostel accommodation.
Getting homeless families out of bed and breakfast
accommodation and into more long-term accommodation is
a key priority for the council. Ealing has gone from having
600 families in B&B for more than six weeks in 2002 to none
by March this year, meeting the government’s deadline. This
has been largely achieved by using private sector
accommodation.
Many people will think of Ealing as a leafy middle class
suburb, best known for producing some of the great British
classic comedy films of the 50s. Today it is one of the largest
London boroughs with a population of 311,000, of whom
more than 40 per cent are from ethnic minorities. It also has
extremes of affluence and deprivation.
In 2000 an Audit Commission report found that the council
was not doing enough to encourage private sector landlords
to bring empty properties back into use. Estimates showed
that, at any one time, there were around 3,000 homes
standing empty in Ealing while house prices continued to
soar. The council set itself a target of getting 100 empty
homes back into use in 2003/04. Twelve months later, we
had helped bring 972 empty properties back into use. This
means that in one year we helped bring around one-third of
empty properties in our borough back into use. Houses are
one of the capital’s most scarce resources, so having so many
stand empty just didn’t make any sense.
When I joined Ealing as an empty property officer, I targeted
properties that seemed to have been languishing for years. I
discovered an office block in Acton High Street that had
been standing empty for a long time. This was in a prime
15
position but was simply going to waste. Acton has excellent
tube and transport links and is the next major town centre
west of Shepherd’s Bush.
Through active collaboration with a private development
company, we helped to breathe new life into a building that
was becoming more and more dilapidated. It has now been
converted into 22 one and two-bedroom flats, with modern
fitted bathrooms and kitchens. Another big plus is that the
new development is aimed specifically at homeless families
who were in B&B or hostel accommodation. So how was this
achieved? We realised that the best way of getting landlords
to work with us was a carrot and stick approach.
The council launched a campaign targeted at landlords to
encourage them to apply for the government’s empty
property grant. This gives landlords up to £10,000, which
they must match, to help pay for renovations to their
property with the aim that it is brought up to the
government’s decent homes standard. The council then
leases the property for five years under our private sector
leasing scheme.
The council also devised a rent deposit scheme, which gives
landlords the assurance that they will receive their rents and
makes sure that there are no hiccups in housing benefit
claims being processed. Changes in government legislation
introduced last year to allow councils to charge up to 90 per
cent of council tax on empty properties have been an added
incentive to landlords to let their properties.
It is at a council’s discretion how much they charge but we’ve
decided to levy the maximum 90 per cent. If landlords are
feeling the pinch in their pocket, they’re much more likely to
want to bring their property back into use.
Empty homes are simply a waste of space.
For further details of the scheme please contact
Jacqueline Connerky at the London Borough of Ealing
please see Part 3 Useful Information for contact details.
f. Regular communications and information for empty
property owners

Successful local authority action on empty homes also requires

regular communications and information for empty property
owners. The following case studies show how such
communication can be implemented:

EXAMPLES OF INFORMATION FOR OWNERS

Also, a comprehensive advice service offering help and

assistance to owners and prospective purchasers of empty
property, could be a useful additional service offered by the
local authority.

16
g. A regular survey of empty property owners
The Empty Homes Agency recommends that local authorities
conduct a regular survey of empty property owners. It is
important for local authorities to know why these properties
are empty and how they might be able to work with such
owners to bring these homes back into use. It is also an
Case Study – Hammersmith & Fulham
In areas of high demand for housing, why are there so many
empty private homes? This study sets out to examine why
there were almost 850 private homes in the London Borough
of Hammersmith and Fulham that had been empty for more
than one year. It also wanted to assess whether owners
wanted help to bring their ‘problem properties’ back into
use, and with whom they would prefer to work. The study
was carried out by the Empty Homes Agency working with
MORI. It found:
Most respondents had bought or acquired their property.
They either intended to live in it themselves, use for family or
friends, use it as an investment or to manage the property
themselves.
Only about a quarter of respondents were interested in some
form of assistance to bring their property back into use.
The remaining respondents expressed no interest in any
such services.
17
excellent way of ensuring that the menu of options outlined in
the empty property strategy meets the needs of owners.
In 2003 the Agency conducted a pilot survey with MORI in the
London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham. Its key findings
are below.
Conclusions:
Owners of empty homes are worthy of additional attention
by local authorities to assess whether existing or new services
may encourage the owner to bring the property back into
use to increase housing supply.
Where this ‘carrot approach’ does not work, an effective
‘stick’ is also required to ensure that the property is re-used
and the benefits are made apparent to the owner.
Recommendations:
Work should be undertaken to encourage more housing
associations to run private sector leasing schemes for empty
homes to increase the options for owners.
When no reason is given and no action is taken by an owner
of an empty home, the ODPM should give urgent
consideration to implementing their consultation paper on
Empty Homes Management Orders to bring such property in
high demand areas back into use to meet housing need.
For more details of this survey please contact
Shashi Ioannides on 0207 828 6288 or
shashi.ioannides@emptyhomes.com

Case Study - Newham
The way in which the authority deals with private sector
empty properties in Newham is becoming an increasingly
prominent issue as the Council we seeks to maximise the
housing stock in the borough in order to contribute to
wider regeneration principles of building sustainable
communities. Last years Housing Strategy update
estimated that there were 3295 private sector properties
registered as empty.
Since then Newham has commenced a borough wide
empty property survey The objective of this work is to
identify empty properties and their owners in order to
reduce the number of disused properties in Newham
while also widening awareness of the availability of
Temporary Social Housing Grant to assist in this activity.
The Borough’s Empty Property Officer works in
partnership, with Solon Housing Association to deliver
the current programme.
To date the Empty Property Officer has surveyed 141 of
Newhams’ streets, and has identified 54 empty
properties. Contact has been made with every owner
and advice has been given regarding Newham’s Empty
Property Strategy, as well as the advantages of bringing
empty property back into use and the options available.
A number of owners are now exploring the Temporary
Social Housing Grant Scheme whilst others have made a
good effort to bring their empty property back into use.
We plan to have completed the Borough survey by 31st
March 2005.
For further details of the scheme please contact
Suzanne Horlock at the London Borough of Newham
- please see Part 3 - Useful Information for
contact details.
18
h. A private sector leasing scheme
Private sector leasing or its more common name of PSL comes
in many guises but ultimately provides the opportunity for
temporary social housing for local Authorities through the rich
resource of privately owned properties. Empty properties are
also released in this way and will help in the implementation of
empty property strategies of local authorities. The ultimate goal
is to help in the reduction of homelessness and the use of bed
and breakfast accommodation and increasing housing supply.
On the whole PSL in its many formats allows a private property
to be leased directly from the owners for periods normally
around 5 years (in some cases less in others more). The owners
receive a guaranteed rent for the agreed period whether the
property is occupied and tenant is paying rent or not. The rent
chargeable to the owner is less than that charged to the tenant
(normally cover by Housing benefit) to allow for management
charges to be claimed by the managing agent. The managing
agent will normally be a Social Registered Landlord (RSL) and
they normally lease it direct from the owners with the local
authority providing suitable tenants. In more recent
arrangements the Local Authority is leasing direct to reduce the
overall risks associated with PSL and appointing the RSL as
managing agents (this however does not preclude private
management/letting companies from tendering for work as
managing agents).
In all though the use PSL has become undoubtedly an accepted
tool across the housing arena for providing additional
accommodation for people in housing need and bringing
empty properties back to use. Across London many Boroughs
are running active PSL schemes often in close partnership with
an RSL.

Case Study – Croydon
Late in December 2001 Wandle Housing Association was
approached by the London Borough of Croydon and asked
to prepare a development feasibility study for the
refurbishment and development of the land and building at
Beaulieu Heights.
Another RSL had been involved but had been unable
to make the scheme work, funds were available but the
timescales to acquire the site and start the work was
very demanding.
residents can take advantage of the amenity space, and low-
level lighting marks the boundary between the gardens and
the woodland area.
The scheme cost in the region of £2.75 million and was
funded by the local authority, with social housing grant of
£2.1 million.
The scheme presented many challenges and Wandle Housing
Association was happy to assist the borough in providing this
development. We are very pleased that we could bring back
to life a locally listed building, whilst providing quality homes
for local people to live in.

With our development partners Greenacre Homes and

consultants Calford Seadens, we quickly put together a
financial package and development proposals which met the
local authorities requirements.

The association acquired the property on 9th January

2002 and immediately entered into a design and build
contract with Greenacre Homes, thus ensuring that the
funding was secure.

Beaulieu Heights is a substantial building that was built

prior to 1848. It is set in established gardens and is a
locally listed building with historic importance to the local
community, and is located next to 16 acres of woodland area
on Beaulieu Heights, which is approximately 3 miles from
central Croydon.

The development involved the refurbishment of the existing

Victorian building to provide 11 flats, and 6 new semi
detached houses was built on surrounding land. The
Association was keen to retain many of the original features
of the mansion block, which included the grand staircase, For further details of the scheme please contact Edmee Elias
entrance porch, and large floor to ceiling sash windows. at the London Borough of Croydon
Most of the original brickwork was retained and a specialist
- please see Part 3 - Useful Information for contact details.
was brought in for the brickwork renovation.

The extensive grounds have been landscaped so that

19
Case Study – Redbridge
Redbridge’s Empty Properties Strategy continues apace which
a number of schemes currently underway at various stages
of development.
Housing Corporation Temporary Social Housing (TSH) grant
of £215,000 has been allocated to East Thames Housing
Group to return fifteen 2-bed flats to effective use. Progress
is being made on this scheme.
For further details of the scheme please contact Robin Seymour-Taylor at the London Borough of Redbridge
- please see Part 3 - Useful Information for contact details.
21
Redbridge recorded an outturn figure of 157 formerly
empty properties returned to effective use as a result of
actions it initiated during 2003-04. This included empty
properties being purchased by partner RSLs under the
Council’s Purchase & Repair scheme, as well as those
returned to use under its pro-active Private Sector Leasing
scheme set up with selected local letting agents. These
units helped Redbridge’s Housing Service achieve the Bed &
Breakfast Unit’s target prior the deadline set of April 2004.
Case Study – Bromley

Bromley have raised the level of empty property activity in

the last year. We have strengthened and enlarged the
Corporate Working group on empty properties by including a
Councillor and town centre managers.

All Council Tax discounts for empty property were removed in

April and we have been concentrating our efforts on an
agreed list of the worst empties in the Borough.
Several of these have been resolved. Some have been
demolished and around 35 new dwellings are expected this
year as a result of these redevelopments.

Our Private Sector Leasing (PSL) scheme, in partnership with

two RSL’s, and our in house Landlords Incentive (LIS) scheme
have both been very successful with 247 properties being
accepted during 2003/04. The LIS scheme has been revised
this year and has been re launched as a Direct Letting
Scheme to take account of the excess of buy to let properties
in the area.

Bromley’s Empty Property Strategy has been revised and

updated and detailed guides on refurbishment, letting| and
selling have been produced. It is planned to introduce an
interest free loan scheme to assist owners from January 2005.

Recently a flat over a shop, which had been empty for over
10 years, has been bought back into use after the owner was
persuaded to agree a lease with works costs totalling
£60,000, resulting in the renovation of both retail premises
and flat above.

For further details of the scheme please contact

Andy Harfield at the London Borough of Bromley
- please see Part 3 - Useful Information for contact details.

22
i. A joint multi agency approach to empty property work
One key lesson about successful empty property work is that very often local authorities cannot do it all themselves – they need to
identify new partners for this important work.
The following case studies show different approaches local authorities have taken to developing new partnerships.
Case Study – Barnet
An innovate partnership between Barnet Council, Notting Hill
Housing Group and Annington Homes is successfully
boosting the council’s drive to reduce the number of families
in expensive Bed and Breakfast accommodation.
The partnership incorporated the council, with its duty of
care to homeless families in bed and breakfast
accommodation; Notting Hill Housing Group, with its record
of helping local authorities find solutions to emergency
housing needs and Annington Homes, the largest private
owner of residential property in the UK.
In 1996, Annington purchased 57,600 homes across the UK
from the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The majority of these
homes were leased back to the MoD for continued use as
service accommodation and then when the properties are
surplus to MoD requirements they are handed back to
Annington. Annington’s primary business is the
refurbishment and sale of these homes. On occasion,
Annington will redevelop sites, and that was the case in
2001, when 80 properties at the former Inglis Barracks in
Mill Hill were returned to Annington, and Annington decided
to make redevelopment plans for the site.
Planning a site redevelopment can take a significant amount
of time and when planning permission is granted Annington
would want to guarantee vacant possession, for
23
development to begin. During this time the homes would
have lain empty, as single individual lettings could have
proven complicated. Leasing to Notting Hill, a property
management business with an established track record in
bulk lease arrangements, was an ideal solution.
The partnership ultimately meant a significant number of
good quality family homes were made available for local
families, improving quality of life for the homeless with stable
home environments, whilst permanent accommodation was
arranged. With limited access to decent accommodation,
the deal also benefited Notting Hill and Barnet Council by
offering a solution that was cost effective and eased the
pressure from the government to meet its targets following
the changes to the Homelessness Act in 2002.
Notting Hill signed two to three year leases for the houses
and Barnet Council agreed nomination rights with Notting
Hill for a phased release of the properties (phase 1
completed April 2002, phase 2 in February 2004 and phase
3 in May 2004).
The partnership is a success because it benefits everyone and,
although temporary, it represents a very efficient use of
otherwise empty homes for a socially useful purpose.
For further details of the scheme please contact
Helen Turner at the London Borough of Barnet
- please see Part 3 - Useful Information for contact details.
 The timescale of the scheme will not enable any individual
Case Study – Newham
freeholds or leaseholds to be compulsorily purchased but by
providing the fullest possible support to enable their
LB Newham Council will be the lead authority for the
conversion it will identify those owners who are not prepared
scheme, which will initiate joint working between all the east
to act responsibly in returning properties to full productive
London Boroughs to deliver homes above shops and in
use. In those properties whose owners do not co-operate
redundant commercial premises. This will assist the long-
plans and designs will be prepared to indicate potential uses
term viability of declining town centres through using empty
of the premises. The scheme will develop partnerships
and under-occupied premises for housing key workers and
with English Partnerships, RSLs and developers so that
the homeless. Despite high levels of housing demand in
compulsory purchase powers can then be used to acquire
London almost one third of potential residential units in such
remaining properties and ensure their rapid refurbishment
locations are currently empty. It compliments the parallel bid
and conversion.
to improve existing homes of vulnerable residents to the
Decent Homes Standard.
If carried to completion the project will deliver twice as many
homes as indicated in the project outcomes listed in this bid.
Specialist skills to support such renewal will be provided sub-
Since those subsequent homes will have been created
regionally to work with all the east London Boroughs to
through the use of Compulsory Purchase powers in co-
develop existing initiatives to deliver these outcomes
operation with RSLs and possibly a housing renewal company
throughout east London. The programme will include;
a far higher proportion will be used to house key workers
• An assessment of existing barriers to conversion within
and the homeless.
individual Borough Unitary Development Plans and the
development of model supplementary planning guidance
East London Boroughs who are participating in either their
for adoption by all east London councils to remove
own or the London wide landlord training/ accreditation
unnecessary barriers
scheme may choose to make part of any capital assistance
• An assessment of commercial demand and the they provide dependent upon attendance or membership of
development of planning briefs for declining shopping such schemes.
centres to release surplus properties for residential use
• The provision of specialist empty property legal advice to For further details of the scheme please contact Peter Snell at
local authorities to support them in the pursuit of the London Borough of Newham - please see Part 3 - Useful
compulsory purchase as a means to returning such Information for contact details.
properties to productive use

24

Case Study – Lambeth
Despite the best efforts on the part of the Council, private
sector properties can remain empty for a number of years. In
cases where these cause a nuisance in the immediate
neighbourhood, London Borough of Lambeth will seek
Compulsory Purchase Orders, so that these can be returned
to use.
On successful purchase the property, the Council will dispose
of it, in order to ensure that it is occupied as quickly as
possible. The property will either be sold on to a Housing
Association or a ‘Preferred Landlord’.
Sometimes, Housing Associations cannot raise the capital
required to purchase an individual property. On other
occasions, the property may be in such a poor state of repair,
that it is not economically viable for a Registered Social
Landlord, (RSL), to get involved.
However, by involving ‘Preferred Landlords’, Lambeth can
ensure that the property is returned to
use by those who have a proven track record in doing so. It
also ensures that priority is given to
those landlords who are prepared to let the property back to
the Council once the property is restored.
A Preferred landlord is someone who is a property developer
or a landlord with one or more properties that are rented.
Once the Council identifies a property it intends to
compulsory purchase, it will seek an RSL to do this in
partnership. Where no RSL is identified, or expresses an
interest, the Council will contact its list of Preferred Landlords,
giving them 28 days to express an interest in bidding for
the property.
The Preferred Landlords will be asked to put forward a
proposal based on acquisition costs, refurbishment costs,
renovation costs and their proposals once the works are
complete. The Preferred Landlord will be able to put in
different tenders, depending on what options they wish to
pursue (eg leasing back to the Council, or outright sale on the
open market).
25
Bids will need to be submitted to the Empty Property Service.
The tenders will then be prioritised on the following basis:
1. Proposals from RSLs that are ‘priority partners’ for
that area.
2. Proposals from RSLs that are not ‘priority partners’ for
that area.
3. Bids from preferred landlords that match (or are greater
than) the cost to the Council for compulsory purchase,
and where the proposal is to rent the property back to
the Council on a longer-term lease managed by Lettings
First. Preference will be given to the highest bid.
4. Bids from preferred landlords that match (or are greater
than) the cost to the Council for compulsory purchase,
and where the proposal is to sell the property on the
open market. Preference will be given to the highest bid.
5. Bids from preferred landlords that are less than the cost
to the Council for compulsory purchase, and where the
proposal is to rent the property back to the Council on a
longer-term lease managed by Lettings First. Preference
will be given to the highest bid.
6. Bids from preferred landlords that are less than the cost
to the Council for compulsory purchase, and where the
proposal is to sell the property on the open market.
Preference will be given to the highest bid.
The Council retains the right to sell the property at auction if
bids are significantly below the price for compulsory
purchasing the property, or where no suitable Preferred
Landlord is identified.
The Empty Property Service maintains a list of Preferred
Landlords, all of whom will be contacted when a property
becomes available. Anyone wishing to become a
Preferred landlord will be assessed for suitability against
the following criteria:
1. Ability to purchase the property, redevelop it and then
bring it back into use, either through renting or selling on
the open market. Evidence will be required from a
solicitor confirming previous conveyancing, selling and
buying experience.
 2. Being ‘good’ landlord. Evidence will be considered from
management of previous / existing properties.
3. Being prepared to let the property back to the Council on
a long-term lease. This criteria would relate to empty
property grants, and would not apply where the landlord
intended to sell the property on the open market.
4. ‘Accredited Landlords’ will automatically be accepted as
‘Preferred Landlords’ once they complete the London
Landlord Accreditation Scheme training.
For further details of the scheme please contact
Maxine Wilson at the London Borough of Lambeth
- please see Part 3 - Useful Information for contact details.

j. A private sector enforcement policy with a commitment if all else fails to using enforcement to bring
properties back into use

Ultimately the local authority needs to ensure that there is clarity on what enforcement powers will be used on empty homes if the
owner takes no action. And this must not just be an idle threat. If a local authority threatens such action as Compulsory Purchase
Orders, it must be prepared to follow through.

Empty property work often needs the underlying threat of enforcement to help focus the minds of owners on taking action. And such
clarity can have great impact as these case studies demonstrate.

Case Study — Haringey

Working with a developer and the local council, he converted the
barren eyesore of four empty shops into 9 flats with one, two or
For over ten years the four shops with flats above were empty and
three bedrooms.
became a real eye sore. Local people were increasingly worried by
the decay and local councillors wanted action.
As the council put a grant towards this renovation work, they were
able to ensure that the properties were used for homeless families.
When Haringey Council empty property officer, Anoma Amarajeewa,
got involved she discovered that, the four units were owned by a
These new flats have transformed the quality of these families’ lives.
South African company. Despite numerous letters she did not receive
For example, Sonia Lopes recently moved into one of the flats having
an answer as to want they wanted to do with the property.
spent almost two years in bed and breakfast accommodation. “It is
just 100% different for me,” said Sonia having moved into her new
In the end she threatened compulsory purchase. This is where the
flat. “The flat is lovely and clean and just nothing is wrong with it. I
local council takes the owner to court to purchase the property
am so happy and my life has been transformed.”
when it has stood unused for so many years. This threat worked and
the company offered the property for sale.
For further details of the scheme please contact
It just so happened that the estate agents that this company Anoma Amarajeewa at the London Borough of Haringey
selected knew about the grants that Haringey Council offered to - please see Part 3 - Useful Information for contact details.
bring long-term empty properties back into use. With such a grant
available a prospective owner did come forwards and bought the
empty properties.

26
Case Study – Camden
The most notable achievement in Camden has been the
revival of the usage of CPO powers. It had been a number
of years since Camden’s last CPO confirmation, but since
a change in policy, four CPOs have been confirmed by
the council
For many years, Camden’s use of the power was hindered by
our policy of disposing of properties only to registered social
landlords. High property prices meant that redevelopment of
these properties was not financially feasible for partner
housing associations. As a result, our use of CPO powers,
and Camden’s ability to deal with the most intractable empty
properties, faltered.
Recently, Camden has revised the policy relating to the
disposal of CPO properties and the result has been a revival
in our use of this power. The council has recently approved
four long-term empties for compulsory purchase that are
now proceeding to the Secretary of State for confirmation.
27
One of the properties is partially occupied and the long-term
tenant has been suffering whilst the landlord has let the
building fall into dereliction around him, perhaps an attempt
to force him to leave. Two other CPO properties reside side
by side and have been empty and derelict for many years.
The buildings are unsightly, in a very poor state of repair and
blight a local conservation area. Despite encouragement and
offers of help and advice, both owners have failed to
improve the conditions of these properties or bring them
back in to use.
The Council has recently resolved to make a Compulsory
Purchase Order in respect to the properties. Partner Housing
Associations have registered interest in the properties and are
carrying out a feasibility study to convert the building in to
affordable housing. If this is not financially feasible, we can
now sell the property to an approved developer.
For further details of the scheme please contact
Lucy McGoldrick at the London Borough of Camden
- please see Part 3 - Useful Information for contact details.
 part three
For any further queries regarding this publication please contact:

Shashi Ioannides
Communications Manager
Empty Homes Agency
195-197 Victoria Street, London SW1E 5NE
Tel: 020 7963 6881
Fax: 020 7828 7006
Email: shashi.ioannides@emptyhomes.com

The following are the contact details for all of our contributors:

Paul Ahmed
Empty Property Officer
London Borough of Waltham Forest
Private Sector Leasing Team
Willow House, 869 Forest Road, London E17 4UH
Tel: 020 8496 6502
Fax:020 8496 6429
Email: Paul.Ahmed@hsg.lbwf.gov.uk Useful Information
Anoma Amarajeewa
Empty Property Officer
London Borough of Haringey
Housing Supply Group
Apex House, 820 Seven Sisters Road, London N15 5PQ
Tel: 020 8489 4214
Fax: 020 8489 4345
Email: anoma.amarajeewa@Haringey.gov.uk

Steve Bradley
Compulsory Purchase Manager
Westminster City Council
4TH floor, City Hall, 64 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6QP
Tel: 0207 641 2023
Fax: 0207 641 1904
Email: sbradley@westminster.gov.uk

Dave Carter
Empty Property Officer
London Borough of Enfield
PO BOX 60, Civic Centre, Silver Street, Enfield EN1 3XN
Tel: 020 8379 4314
Fax: 020 8379 4191
Email: Dave.Carter@enfield.gov.uk

28
Driss Charrouf Andy Harfield
Empty Properties Officer Senior Housing Development Officer.
London Borough of Brent London Borough of Bromley
Private Housing Services Joseph Lancaster Hall
Mahatma Ghandi House, 34 Wembley Hill Road Bromley Civic Centre, Rafford Way, Bromley BR1 3UH
London HA9 8AD Tel: 020 8313 4676
Tel: 020 8937 2536 Fax: 020 8313 4400
Fax: 020 8937 2388 E-mail: andy.harfield@bromley.gov.uk
Email: driss.charrouf@brent.gov.uk

Suzanne Horlock
Jacqueline Connerky Empty Property Officer
Empty Property Officer London Borough of Newham
London Borough of Ealing Housing Partnerships Team
4th Floor, Dorley House, 91-95 Uxbridge Road Bridge House, 320 High Street, Stratford, London E15 1EP
London W5 5TH Tel: 020 8557 8961
Tel: 020 8825 6185 Fax: 020 8430 6582
Email: connerkj@ealing.gov.uk Email: Suzanne.Horlock@newham.gov.uk

Emma Cooper Nick Long

Empty Property and Compulsory Purchase Officer Empty Property Manager
London Borough of Tower Hamlets London Borough of Lewisham
Private Housing Improvement Team 1st Floor, Capital House, 47 Rushey Green
Block C, 3 Millharbour, London E14 9XP Catford, London SE6 4AS
Tel: 020 7364 5637 Tel: 020 8314 8381
Fax: 020 7364 4267 Fax: 020 8314 3078
Email: emma.cooper@towerhamlets.gov.uk Email: nick.long@lewisham.gov.uk

Diane Edwards Lucy McGoldrick

London Borough of Islington Private Sector Development Officer
393 Highbury Quadrant, London N5 2SX London Borough of Camden
Tel: 020 7527 6078 Housing Advice Service
Fax: 020 7527 6085 Bidborough House, 20 Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BF
Email: diane.edwards@islington.gov.uk Tel: 020 7974 5819
Fax: 020 7974 5729
Email: lucy.mcgoldrick@camden.gov.uk
Edmee Elias
Empty Property Project Manager
London Borough of Croydon Paul Palmer
Taberner House, Park Lane, Croydon CR9 1DH Empty Property Officer
Tel: 020 8760 5470 City of Westminster Council
Fax: 020 8760 5745 4TH floor, City Hall, 64 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6QP
Email: Edmee.Elias@croydon.gov.uk Tel. 020 7641 3318
Email: ppalmer@westminster.gov.uk

Paul Emptage
Empty Property Services Manager Robin Seymour-Taylor
London Borough of Hammersmith Housing Development Officer (Empty Properties)
& Fulham Housing Centre, 77 Glenthorne Road London Borough of Redbridge
London W6 0LJ Housing Service
Tel: 020 8753 1240 3rd Floor, 17-23 Clements Road, Ilford, Essex 1G1 1AG
Fax: 020 8753 1250 Tel: 020 8708 4066
Email: paul.emptage@lbhf.gov.uk Fax: 020 8708 4172
Email: Robin.Seymourtaylor@redbridge.gov.uk

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Chris Smith
Policy Officer
Other Publications
Greater London Authority
City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, London SE1 2AA
Tel: 020 7983 5770
Fax: 020 7983 4706
Email: chris.smith@london.gov.uk

Pete Snell
Programme Co-ordinator
East London Renewal Partnership
London Borough of Newham
530-542 High Street North, London E12 6QN
Tel: 020 8430 2424
Email: Peter.Snell@newham.gov.uk

Toby Taper
Director
MORI Social Housing Research
MORI House
79-81 Borough Road, London SE1 1FY
Tel: 020 7347 3000
Email: Toby.Taper@mori.com

Helen Turner
Empty Homes Officer
London Borough of Barnet
Barnet House, 1255 High Rd, Whetstone N20 0EJ
Tel: 020 8359 4560
Fax: 020 8359 4189
Email: Helen.Turner@barnet.gov.uk

Linda Wan
Principal Commissioning Officer
London Borough of Islington
Procurement & Development Team
393 Highbury Quadrant, London N5 2SX
Tel: 020 7527 6078
Fax: 020 7527 6085
Email: linda.wan@islington.gov.uk

Maxine Wilson
Empty Property Manager
London Borough of Lambeth
Private Sector Housing Unit
Hambrook House, Porden Road, London SW2 1RW
Tel: 020 7926 2044
Fax: 020 7926 4351
Email: MWilson@lambeth.gov.uk

Hannah Worsfold
London Borough of Brent
Private Housing Services
Mahatma Ghandi House
34 Wembley Hill Road
London HA9 8AD
Tel: 020 8937 2539
Fax: 020 8937 2388
Email: Hannah.worsfold@brent.gov.uk

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