Ok guys I get the message. Local authorities don’t want to give out lists of empty homes to developers. As far as I understand it your arguments are
- It’s going to create more work for you
- You’re going to get the blame if the property gets squatted
Well Okay both are possible, but in all of this debate nobody has challenged my view that giving out the information is likely to result in more empty homes coming back into use.
So how about this as a suggestion? You provide information on homes you know to be long-term empty to the Empty Homes Agency and we disclose it to developers, potential homeowners or anybody else who asks for it. That way if anybody asks you for a list you can refer them to us, and if there’s any blame to be had we’ll take it. Oh and as an aside we are not a public body so we are not subject to the Freedom of Information act.
