Row houses
New additional licensing scheme for Barnet
This week (24-28 October) is Empty Homes Week at Barnet Council. The council is marking it by encouraging owners of the 1,891 empty homes in the borough to bring them back into use and is signposting the range of incentives available to help.
The council’s Environmental Health team is offering owners of long-term empty homes grant aid, help selling an empty property, and obtaining a reduction in VAT on building works for properties that have been empty for more than two years.
The grants are for works costing up to £25,500 and are available in return for a five-year lease being granted to Barnet Homes, meaning they can provide a home to someone in need. If an application is submitted during the upcoming Empty Homes Week, then a bonus of up to £2,500 extra grant is being offered as an incentive.
This year, the council is also keen to promote our Empty Property (Lifetime Homes) Landlord Grant. This is a grant of up to £12,500 and is to fund specific works to enable the property to be used by tenants with a disability.
A spokesperson for Barnet Council said: “There are nearly 2,000 empty homes in the borough. With increasing pressure on the housing market, the council is keen to ensure that as many as possible are restored to use. Empty houses can also cause concerns for neighbours due to problems with rats, rubbish dumping, overgrown gardens and even squatting. If you own an empty home, then get in touch and we can help you get financial support and advice you need.”
Since October 2019 the Environmental Health team has assisted 391 owners to bring their empty homes back into use.
To report an empty property or to register an interest in a grant either email empty.properties@barnet.gov.uk or call 020 8359 4359
More information can be found at: www.barnet.gov.uk/housing/private-housing/empty-properties.
New additional licensing scheme for Barnet
This can be based on this council’s licensing scheme renewed to improve property standards | Barnet Council
Landlords have until the end of 2022 to submit their applications to meet their legal obligations and secure the lower licensing fee.
The council understands that this is a difficult time financially for everyone including landlords, but tenants safety remains a priority. To support landlords in this, condition compliance periods for licences issued before the end of 2022 will also provide longer lead in times for lower risk works.
The introduction of the Selective Licensing Scheme for Burnt Oak, Colindale North and Colindale South will also be delayed until spring 2023.