Housing in U.K. politics has always been a hot topic, and this year isn’t any different. Plenty of facts and figures have been shared, including the 300,000 homes both main parties believe need to be built to deal with the housing crisis. Shelter has stated that six million people are living in poor quality or short-term accommodation.
In London alone, the figures can be staggering. In Richmond-Upon-Thames recently, the Green Party brought to light the apparently 1200 empty homes in the borough, as calculated by the local council’s private sector housing team.
Whereas in Barnet, there is the well-known issue of the empty residential properties in The Bishop’s Avenue, also known as ‘Billionaire’s Row’. Many large and expensive properties on the site have been lying empty since the 1990’s, with the residences changing hands since, even though they haven’t been lived in.
In Barnet alone there are 3000 households on the social housing waiting list and the social housing list nationally is at a ten-year high, with 60,000 families added to the list since 2018, reaching a total of 1.2 million.
We all know how unaffordable housing in London is. Some people are coming up with their own solutions such as buying with other friends and family, and whilst this isn’t always practical, the way out of the crisis needs some out of the box thinking.
It remains to be seen what an incoming Government might do to really change the current situation, in the meantime companies such as Grafton work with local authorities and law firms dealing in probate, in order to establish ownership and return homes to a state where they can be used again.
If you are a council Housing Officer or deal with empty homes in your job at the local authority or as a solicitor, Grafton Empty Homes and Grafton Genealogy, are here to help. We can advise you on tracing the owners or beneficiaries of an empty residence, or help with clearance and remedial repairs. Together we can make a difference and make empty properties, homes again.
