government to snatch empty houses
 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/...the-state.html

sounds like desperation

Re: government to snatch empty houses
 

sounds like theft

Re: government to snatch empty houses
 

They say they take management but not ownership. I personally think it stinks . What has it got to do with them what you do with your own property

No legally approved excuse omg who do they think they are?

Re: government to snatch empty houses
 

As the article states, these laws have been in operation for some time. As usual, this latest announcement has more to do with a desperate 'Government' indulging in yet another populist con trick (e.g. reannouncing/repackaging old news, introducing tough sounding but largely ineffective legislation etc.) to get votes than it has to do with solving the problem.

Re: government to snatch empty houses
 

Do you think if I make a sandwich but decide I do not want it till later they will knock on my door and say we need it? lol

Re: government to snatch empty houses
 

No but they may try to tax it.... :D

Re: government to snatch empty houses
 

depends on what sandwich it is.

Re: government to snatch empty houses
 

They are the Labour government, they make it up as they go along with their pretend president of the united kingdom at the helm. Bend us over and screw us without even asking "may I"

Re: government to snatch empty houses
 

Re: government to snatch empty houses
 

A legally approved excuse to leave a home empty,what the hell does that mean?
Since when has anyone had to have an "excuse" for vacating their own property. I wonder what "excuses" will be allowed. Only a matter of time before single people are made to take in tennants. The sheer brass neck of this government beggars belief.

Re: government to snatch empty houses
 

If the properties aren't well maintained and lowering the value of other properties in the area, then yeah the homes should be seized.

Re: government to snatch empty houses
 

And who do you think will decide on the level of maintenance required? An overgrown garden, a bit of peeling paint? You can imagine some tinpot little council official loving his new role of vacant house inspector, oh that one has a slightly rusty gate, quick, seize it for the owner gets back from holiday. PATHETIC!!!

Re: government to snatch empty houses
 

Bit of a throwaway remark but, this is getting more like communism/stalinism isn't it?

Re: government to snatch empty houses
 

There was a guy round our way who bought a 100's of ex National Coal Board houses for the sum of £1,500 each, he put low income families in them and charged top end rents, he wasn't the sort of landlord who didn't like to do any repairs. The areas where he bought the houses were in run down areas of Mansfield like Pleasley, Warsop Vale, Meaden Vale and also in some villages in Derbyshire.

Over time he let the houses fall into a state of disrepair, most of them ended up being boarded up and left for years.

A few years ago the Coalfield regeneration plan came into force, the local council implimented a compulsary purchase order for all of his houses so they could press a head with knocking the houses down and rebuilding them with new ones. He got £15,000 for every house even those that had been empty for over 10 years.

Re: government to snatch empty houses
 

Nice, I love the misleading term of 'snatch' implying that the government will just take it off you.

Read the article and you'll see its either via a compulsary purchase order or they will rent it and pay you the rest after expenses (no more than a rental agency would do)

When I moved to my town 7-8 years ago we rented to start off with. There was (and still IS!) a house on the end of the terrace that is boarded up the owner apparently lives in a caravan park a hours drive away. In all the time I've been here, I've seen him come in and replace the fence to the back garden and re-plaster one of the eves of the roof. Thats it in 8 years. The windows are still boarded up and the house is empty when it could be usefully employed. It's just a shame that the local councils don't use these pwers more often.