Landlords who refuse to rent out empty homes may soon face action from local councils armed with new powers to take over their properties and fill them with tenants.

This follows a decision by the Government to devolve more powers from Whitehall to local authorities within its recently-launched white paper.

Vague policy

The document is vague about what the new powers will be, but they are likely to be similar to Labour’s recently-launched High Street Rental Auctions scheme which enables councils to auction off empty shops if they have been vacant for more than 365 days in a 24-month period.

The new white paper says: “Transferring power away from Westminster means strengthening the ability of local authorities to set proper strategic direction to address the challenges facing their areas and respond to the hopes and aspirations of the communities they represent.”

This follows a recent report which claimed that in England alone there are some 700,000 homes that are unfurnished and standing empty. Over 265,000 of these are classed as ‘long-term empty’.

Unprecedented powers for mayors

Housing Secretary Angela Rayner yesterday heralded “unprecedented new powers for mayors” and promised a move towards a simpler and more ambitious framework for devolution.

“We will bring new efficiency and accountability to local and regional government…and we will truly empower the local champions who understand their area, its identity, its strengths, and how to harness them,” she said.

The empty homes initiative is in part down to London mayor Sadiq Khan who has been calling for beefed-up powers to reclaim landlords’ properties via Empty Dwelling Management Orders, which have been restricted in recent years. And several councils in the UK have doubled council tax for the owners of ‘long-term empty’ properties.