A London house which lay empty for six years will be compulsorily purchased by a council with the blessing of Housing Secretary Angela Rayner.
The three-bedroom house, which had been in a severe state of disrepair and hoarded with possessions, became vacant when a tenant moved into a care home in 2018. Haringey council approached Rayner for consent after failing to reach agreement with the landlord owner – a private company.
Objections to the compulsory purchase order by the owners led to a Planning Inspectorate hearing where neighbours affected by the damaged property shared their concerns and highlighted the impact this had on them daily.
Following this hearing, a CPO was authorised by Rayner and possession of the house will be taken.
A statement from the authority says:”The council will ensure the property is sold and that the new buyer undertakes a full renovation and occupies within a reasonable timeframe. Long term empty homes can have a significant detrimental impact on the local community and often suffer with decay due to the lack of maintenance. Therefore, they become a nuisance to neighbouring properties, attract crime and or anti-social behaviour.”
This article is taken from Landlord Today