We define a long-term empty home as a residential property that has been left unoccupied for six months or more.
Bringing long-term empty homes back into use is a national priority to make better use of the existing housing stock. On a local level, housing within the Borough is in short supply. Long-term empty homes represent a wasted resource and can have a serious negative impact on local communities.
We are working with owners of properties and with local communities to make long-term empty, wasted properties a thing of the past.
To find out more, please see our Housing strategies web page where you can scroll down to read our Empty Homes Strategy and Empty Homes Action Plan.
If you have any questions about the Council’s work in bringing long-term empty homes back in to use, or if you own an empty property and you are seeking advice, please contact the Housing Strategy Team at housing.strategy@bedford.gov.uk.
Reporting an empty home
Please tell us if you are concerned about an empty property in your neighbourhood.
If you think the property is being used for criminal activity contact Bedfordshire Police on 101.
What we can offer owners of empty properties
We are committed to bringing long-term empty properties back into use. We do this by offering to owners:
- free advice and support with renting out property
- a free tenancy deposit guarantee scheme
- free identification of suitable tenants for properties in the scheme
Rent your property through the Council
If you are interested in renting your empty property through the Council, please follow the links below for further information:
- Private Sector Leasing (PDF)
Planning advice may be needed in some cases. There may be a charge for this. For more information, please visit our planning section.
Please note for persons interested in purchasing an empty property, GDPR legislation means that the Council cannot disclose details of empty homes owned by individuals.
Action we can take
Where an owner persistently leaves a property empty, we have a range of powers to bring it back into use including Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs).
Council Tax and empty properties
Unless the property is exempt, Council Tax is charged for empty homes. Please visit our Council Tax on empty properties page for more information.
