Significant progress being made to tackle the issue of empty homes in RCT

RCT Cabinet has received a report on the progress made during the first year of the updated RCT Empty Homes Strategy. Focused activities and interventions have helped bring a further 258 properties back into use since October 2022.

The Council is committed to reducing the number of empty homes as they are a financial expense and a wasted resource that could provide much-needed affordable housing. Their appearance can be unsightly, and they attract anti-social behaviour. Following Cabinet’s approval a year ago, an updated Empty Homes Strategy (2022-2025) introduced objectives to continue the good work carried out from 2018 to 2021, that had brought 662 properties back into use.

A report to Cabinet on Monday, October 23, provided a progress update on the current number of empty homes, following the first year of the updated Strategy. It noted that 646 interventions were delivered, exceeding the target of 400 per year. Council tax records show that empty homes have reduced by 258 (2,892 to 2,634) during the past year, and by 922 since April 2017.

The report outlined officer activities over the past year, towards the Strategy’s five objectives which are listed at the bottom of this update. The full report is available online, with a brief summary of some key activities included below.

The Empty Property Operational Group brings together council officers from Housing Strategy, Housing Grants, Public Health, Regeneration and Council Tax – focused on reducing the number of long-term empty properties. The RCT Landlord Forum also engages around 40 landlords. Both groups meet quarterly to discuss local issues and consider how they can be alleviated.

Work with Registered Social Landlords to bring empty commercial buildings back into use also continues. Schemes in progress include 122-126 Dunraven Street in Tonypandy, the former Co-op store in Tonypandy, and the Treorchy Sorting Office. New projects brought into the social housing grant programme include the former Cwmbach Primary School site and the YMCA and Button Factory in Porth.

In partnership with Hafod and Trivallis, the Council has bid for funding via Welsh Government’s Transitional Capital Accommodation Programme in 2023/24 – to bring seven properties back into use and acquire a further 36 empty homes. This is on top of the 11 properties brought back into use via the 2022/23 grant.

The Council is appointed as lead authority for Welsh Government’s National Empty Homes Grant Scheme – with £4.8m allocated for schemes in RCT over the next two years. It offers grants (of up to £25,000) that homeowners can use to remove hazards from properties, to make them safe and to improve energy efficiency. So far, 107 valid applications have been received in RCT.

The Council also led on the Valleys Taskforce Empty Homes Grant which, by March 2023, had used £4.6m funding to bring 263 homes in RCT back into use. The RCT Empty Homes Grant Scheme has invested £1.3m locally, with a further 28 homes expected to be brought back into use by March 2024. The Council has also delivered 155 Houses into Homes loans, totalling £4.4m, that has created 221 accommodation units from privately-owned empty properties.

Council tax premiums for long-term empty properties were introduced from April 2023, for properties that have been empty for 12 months or more – part of the Council’s wider strategy to support bringing homes back into use. Since April 2023, there has been an increase in enquiries about empty property loans/grants and assistance. This is a positive early sign, with ongoing arrangements in place to monitor the impact of the Council’s work in this area.

Councillor Mark Norris, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member for Development and Prosperity, said: “Monday’s Cabinet report has shown the comprehensive work we are doing to meet our commitment of reducing the number of empty properties in Rhondda Cynon Taf. Bringing 258 homes back into use in the past year is an excellent outcome – and adds to the overall total of 922 properties brought back into use so far since 2017, which has made a significant difference.

“Our updated Empty Homes Strategy was agreed by Cabinet in October 2022, recognising the need for a strong and strategic approach to make meaningful progress. The new Strategy has clear objectives and is deliverable – not only to reduce empty property numbers, but to ensure the change is sustainable.

“A key part of the Council’s positive work has been making people aware of funding support available, and to make it easy for them to access it. Following the success of the RCT Empty Homes Grant, the Council was appointed the lead authority by The Valleys Taskforce and also the Welsh Government for their respective schemes. It shows that our approach to tackling empty homes is leading the way, having been recognised and replicated both regionally and nationally.

“It’s also fantastic to see that more than 700 local contractors have been used and around 700,000 employment hours have been generated by the Valleys Taskforce scheme alone – having a positive impact on the local economy.

“Building on the progress to date, there remains much to do to reduce the number of empty homes that still exist. We’ll continue to work very hard to turn this issue into opportunities – such as providing affordable housing or community developments – and to protect communities from potential negative outcomes of empty homes. I’m looking forward to seeing further progress made in the future, through our five main objectives of the Empty Homes Strategy.”

The five objectives of the RCT Empty Homes Strategy (2022-2025) include:

• Developing partnerships – continuing to engage with Registered Social Landlords, private sector partners, community groups and stakeholders, while coordinating actions via the Empty Homes Operational Group.
• Maximising current funding and identifying further funding – seeking further opportunities, while continuing to effectively manage the Council’s Empty Homes Grant and the Houses into Homes Loan scheme.
• Using a range of interventions targeting all types of empty homes –from reviewing Council Tax premiums for long-term empty homes and second homes, to enforcement activity where appropriate.
• Further community research and evaluation of existing schemes – to analyse all factors affecting empty homes at a County Borough and ward level, while reviewing the best practice and effectiveness of interventions.
• Identifying solutions to prevent homes becoming empty – analysing the local housing market, strengthening the market, and maximising the identified Strategic Opportunity areas and wider regional opportunities.