New lease of life for eyesore property

A new lease of life has been breathed in to an eyesore property which has lain in a state of disrepair for the past 15 years.

Carmarthenshire County Council has completely renovated No.2 Station Road, Llangennech, after making use of a rare legal order to manage the property and bring it back in to use.

The keys have been handed to the new tenants who are happy to be moving in to the three-bedroom family home.

 

The property recently became the subject of the authority’s first Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO), which – in the absence of the owner’s cooperation – led to the service of a rarely used Final Empty Dwelling Management Order (FEDMO).

Only three EDMOs have been granted in Wales, with only 50 in the UK as a whole. An FEDMO is the final stage in the process and has been rarely used in the UK.

The order enables local authorities to take over management of empty properties for up to seven years.

Before the order, and subsequent renovation, the property had attracted vandalism, anti-social behaviour and fly-tipping, and was a blight on the local community.

Robin Staines, Head of Housing, said: “We have worked hard to secure this property and bring it back in to use through the council’s in-house Social Lettings Agency. The rent received will be used to repay the money spent during to bring the property up to a rentable standard.”

The use of an EDMO is just one option available to the authority to secure the improvement and reoccupation of private homes which have been left empty and in a state of disrepair.

The council has also recently enforced the sale of several empty homes in the county, and has then disposed of them at local property auctions, allowing the authority to claim back the debts incurred.

Executive Board Member for housing, Cllr Hugh Evans, said: “Our officers will always try to work with owners to improve their properties and provide valuable additional housing, but it is an unfortunate fact that some people just do not wish to engage with us.

“In this respect we are well placed as we have now successfully used the full range of enforcement options, including Compulsory Purchase.”

The council’s blueprint for tackling the issue of long-term empty homes is set out in its Empty Property Action Plan.