Empty property advice from Caerphilly County Borough Council

Welcome

Empty properties represent a wasted resource, financial expense and in many cases a missed opportunity to provide much needed affordable housing.

Not only are they a waste of a valuable housing resource but they can cause blight to communities and distress to residents affected by their unsightly appearance and tendency to attract crime, vandals, squatters, unauthorised occupiers, and anti-social behaviour. In addition to this, they can devalue neighbouring properties and represent a huge cost to the Council, Police, Fire Authority, and Community Safety Partnerships due to the time and resources spent in dealing with the problems that they create.

Caerphilly County Borough Council is committed to working with empty property owners and prospective owners to encourage them to bring their properties back into use and where possible, prevent properties from becoming empty in the first instance.

There are several initiatives available to help owners bring their empty property back into use and this pack is intended to give you an overview of what assistance is available.

However, if an owner is uncooperative or obstructive then the Council will consider using the wide range of formal enforcement action available to bring the property back into use.

Formal enforcement action is always a last resort, but the Council believes that leaving properties stand empty for long periods when there is a shortage of affordable housing in the County Borough is not acceptable.