Hundreds of empty homes put back in use

If necessary as a last resort, the authority said it can use enforcement action to ensure work is carried out

More than 300 private, long-term unoccupied properties in Wolverhampton have been turned into family homes to be sold or rented, the council says.

Many of the homes, often in a poor state, have stood empty for many years, sometimes because there were no relatives to inherit them or they cannot be traced.

Housing improvement officers worked with owners to encourage them to carry out any required work and get them occupied once again, the council said.

Up to 312 houses have been brought back into use over the past five years.

Through the council's Empty Property Strategy, the authority said it wanted to prevent the properties becoming "a blight on their neighbourhood" and make them available to be sold to new homeowners or rented out to tenants.

The figures have been highlighted during national Empty Homes Week, the council said.

The authority said it also offered up to £500 towards legal and marketing fees to encourage more owners of empty properties to sell their property on the open market.

Councillor Steve Evans, deputy leader and cabinet member for city housing, said the work was providing more affordable housing to people in Wolverhampton.

"The properties we have become involved with have often stood empty for many years, sometimes because there are no relatives to inherit or they cannot be traced, and, as a result, the condition of the property has deteriorated dramatically.

"We are putting these houses back on the market – either to sell or rent – and this in turn is having a positive effect in the areas they are in."