Drive to fill 2,000 empty and derelict homes

A council meeting heard there were 2,231 empty properties with half being unoccupied for more than six months

Owners of more than 2,000 empty and derelict homes are being urged to fill them under a new push from council leaders.

Middlesbrough Council said it was working with housing associations to buy and refurbish homes and "nudging" landlords to sort out homes while trying to claw back £5.5m in unpaid council tax.

In 2023, landlords said homes were sitting empty in the town due to an £820 fee charged by the council.

Regeneration director Richard Horniman said he believed the problem had escalated in recent years, with some homes left "dangerous, insecure and plagued by anti-social behaviour".

Mr Horniman told a council meeting there were 2,231 empty properties and 1,233 of them had been empty for more than six months, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

He said that it was "nigh on impossible" to collect owed council tax because there were "absent landlords" and lots of ways for people to "get around the rules".

Forcing sales

This has led to a "push" by the council to tackle the problem by reminding landlords of their responsibilities to compulsory purchases, councillors heard.

“We need to tackle the blight it puts on communities and certain areas," Mr Horniman said.

"The more empty homes we bring back into use to provide homes for people, obviously the better all round."

He said the council had done in-depth pilot work in North Ormesby introducing completion notices and forcing owners to undertake work.