MORE than 500 long-term empty properties have returned to residential use in Northumberland over the last five years.

Northumberland County Council is highlighting how it is addressing the problem of empty properties in the county to mark National Empty Homes Week until March 5, and is appealing to anyone who owns or knows of a long-term empty property to contact them. 

The council's Housing Services Private Sector housing team has helped return more than 540 empty properties back into use over the last five years. 

The council offers assistance including a free Property Accreditation Scheme, which helps owners source tenants for their properties via free advertising on Northumberland Homefinder, and carry out free tenant reference checks.

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Other powers include the use of Empty Dwelling Management Orders; this is an enforcement procedure to repair, re-let and manage problematic long-term empty properties on the owner’s behalf for around seven years.

Once repaired, properties are let to tenants on Northumberland County Council's housing register. 

Through using Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMO) powers, over the last five years 15 properties which were empty for longer than two years have been brought back into use, providing housing managed directly by the council. 

Over the last five years, twelve properties which were empty for longer than six months have been purchased, repaired and let out at affordable rents then managed by the council. This added to the council’s housing stock, plus brought some of Northumberland's most problematic empty properties back into use. 

Northumberland County Councillor Colin Horncastle, cabinet member with responsibility for housing, said: “Unfortunately, some properties are left empty for long periods of time, often getting into a state of disrepair and attracting anti-social behaviour, when they could be providing much needed accommodation to people living in Northumberland. 

“Empty homes continue to be an issue in the county and National Empty Homes Week is an ideal opportunity to highlight the work that we are doing to address this problem. 

“It’s great to see these properties once again becoming much-needed family homes. We know there is still more work that needs to be done and we will be continuing to work closely with landlords and owners to identify other properties where we can offer help to provide these homes with a new lease of life.”