The Isle of Wight Council recognises that a key tool to assist in regenerating the local community is to bring back into use homes which continue to remain empty.

Empty properties can easily fall into serious disrepair and once a property appears to be obviously empty, it can become an eyesore and a target for anti- social behaviour and complaints from local residents.
Our priority is to identify those properties that have remained vacant for a long period to try to get them back into use. Once the owner can be identified, we can help them to decide on the best option for the property.
We attempt to work informally with the owners of properties. However, the Housing Act 2004 has provided the Council with new powers such as 'Empty Dwelling Management Orders' alongside existing powers of Compulsory Purchase. Should our attempts to work with owners fail we do seek to use these powers under our comprehensive empty property 'enforcement policy'.
Empty homes represent a wasted resource, for every homeless person in England there are seven empty homes. Government estimates suggest it costs the owner £10,000.00 per year to leave a property empty. On average in the Isle of Wight 2.4 % of the housing stock is vacant compared to the national average of 3.3 %. Long-term empty properties on the Island being 0.4% of the housing stock.

Bringing empty homes into use has many benefits

Owners benefit from:

  • rental income or better sales potential
  • help with finding suitable tenants
  • security against vandalism
  • property management
  • long term investment

Neighbouring residents benefit from:

  • the removal of eyesore which may be attracting anti-social behavior, and infestation
  • the additional security that having neighbors can bring
  • an uplift to the neighborhood brought about by no longer having a run down property in the vicinity

People looking for a home benefit from:

  • having a wider choice of properties to rent
  • access to good quality, affordable homes

The Council benefits from:

  • improvements to key properties which may form part of a wider regeneration strategy
  • use of a wasted resource which may reduce the need to develop housing on ‘Greenfield’ sites
  • reduced housing need on waiting list
We are committed to working with the community and all agencies involved in housing provision to bring empty properties back into use.
When an empty property is reported, we will investigate and prioritise it according to a number of factors including the degree to which it is causing problems in the neighbourhood and the length of time it has stood vacant.
We will endeavor to trace the owner and try to bring the home back into use informally through various means available to us.
Where an owner cannot be traced or is non-cooperative we ultimately will use enforcement powers, however, this is not a quick fix solution.

What help is available to property owners?

If you are the owner of an empty property and want to do something about the nuisance or loss of income it may be causing, the following options may be available to you:
  • sell privately or to a Registered Social Landlord
  • demolition and sale of plot
  • letting privately or through an agent
  • leasing to a managing agent or the Council
  • renovating the property (there are VAT incentives which may assist)

We are here to help!

The Empty Property Officer can offer professional help and advice to property owners wishing to bring their empty property back into residential use.
If you would like to discuss a property that is empty and talk through some of the ways that it can be brought back into use contact Will Taylor, Empty Property Officer, at 7 High Street, Newport on 01983 821000 or email by clicking here
You can also obtain information from our Empty Property Campaign leaflet: here
To report an empty property, please click here
Links to other sites of interest
Empty Homes Agency
Empty Homes CLG
HM Revenue and Customs
The Residential Property Tribunal Service
Government Offices South East



Page last updated on: 30/09/2011