Empty Property Matching Service

posted: 21/08/2008

Accredited landlords interested interested in expanding their property portfolio by purchasing an empty dwelling are invited to join an Empty Property Matching Service.

There are over 7000 empty properties in the Stoke-on-Trent area. Stoke-on-Trent City Councils Empty Homes Project was introduced in 2006 to help reduce this number and its Empty Homes Officer has been working on various projects to help bring empty dwellings back into use. She has contacted many empty property owners to determine what they intend to do with their property(ies). Where an owner has expressed a wish to sell their property, we would like to ensure that it is brought back into use quickly and in a way that would help the Council provide affordable accommodation.

As part of the Empty Homes Project, we have developed a database from which owners wishing to sell their empty dwellings can be matched up to potential buyers. As members of the North Staffordshire Landlord Accreditation Scheme agree to provide a good standard of well managed rented accommodation, they are therefore considered to be a suitable buyer.

This would be no more than a matching up service and the Council would take no further involvement in the sale of the properties. The vendor and buyer would be responsible for negotiating the sale and progressing it in the same way as if the property had been up for sale on the open market.

If you are interested in expanding your property portfolio and are interested in purchasing an empty dwelling, please complete and return the form - these can be found in the Members Information of the Downloads section of the website.

Your details will then be added onto the database and should they match up to an empty dwelling that is up for sale, you will be contacted.

Please be aware that this is a long term proposal and therefore the time before you receive details of a property could vary.

If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact the Empty Homes Officer - Zainul Pirmohamed on Tel: 01782 232082 or email: zainul.pirmohamed@stoke.gov.uk