A total of 824 residential properties in the municipality have been reduced for more than six months, according to the data published by Bexley Council after a request for freedom of information.
The Council shared a breakdown that shows how much time they have been empty:
- 167 houses have been empty for six and twelve months
- 335 have not been lived for one or two years
- 315 have been empty for two and five years
- Seven properties have been empty for more than five years.
The Council said it could not disseminate the addresses or details of ownership of these homes due to data protection laws.
Long -term empty houses can become a source of concern for communities.
They fall into poor condition, attract antisocial behavior and represented the duration of lost opportunities at the time the housing has a great demand.
To address the problem, Bexley’s advice says that it is using a new legislation that allows local authorities to apply additional council taxes in households that are empty in the long term.
The idea is to encourage owners to use the properties again. If the thesis is not paid, the Council confirmed that the recovery action is tasks.
At the national level, there are almost 700,000 homes in England that are not dawn and empty, according to the action of the campaign group in empty houses.
Of these, more than 265,000 are classified as long -term gaps.
When second houses and vacations are included, the total number of unused houses increases to approximately one million, which means that approximately one in 25 houses in England is not lived.
Activists argue that re -useing thesis properties could be a key part to facilitate housing crisis.
According to the crisis of the homeless beneficial organization, there are now more than 290,000 people in England without a permanent home.
