Empty homes
If you own an empty property, live next door to one, or know of one in your area, tell us about it so we can help bring it back into use.
Report an empty home
Tell us if you know of any empty homes in your area.
It might be empty if:
- the windows have been broken for a long time
- post has not been collected
- windows and doors have been boarded up
- the rooms are always in darkness
- no coming or goings
Provide as much information as possible about the property. This will help us to identify what action we should take.
What happens next
We’ll investigate your report and contact the owner to try to bring the property back into use.
Advice for owners of empty homes
We can help you:
- keep your property safe from squatters
- decide whether to live in, rent or sell your property
- rent your property to us
- organise repairs and find a good builder
- talk to planning and building control
- find out about Council Tax discounts or exemptions
- get VAT reductions when refurbishing long term empty properties
- with grant funding for repairs on empty homes
- become a private landlord and join the London Landlord Accreditation Scheme
To find out more email empty.homes@redbridge.gov.uk
Empty property grant
You can get a grant to help refurbish the property if it has been empty for over six months. The grant covers up to 50% of repair costs and is based on the number of bedrooms in the property. Terms and conditions apply.
To find out more email empty.homes@redbridge.gov.uk
You can also earn money by renting your property to us
If the owner does not bring the property back into use
We may take enforcement action where:
- we’re unable to identify or contact owners
- owners are unwilling or unable to bring properties back into use
- there is an imminent risk to health and safety
We can use legal powers to:
- serve notices for things like pests, rubbish and fly tipping
- enforce a sale
- take over the management of the empty property on a temporary basis. This is known as an empty dwelling management order
- issue a compulsory purchase order
Empty Property Strategy
You can read how we'll tackle the problem of privately owned empty houses to get them back into use.
