Member Article

Empty North East homes back from the brink

This Tyneside flat in Howdon, Wallsend - just a stone’s throw from the Tyne Tunnel - is the latest example of the vital Empty Homes programme where social landlord Isos Housing is leading an investment programme worth £750,000 in the North East.

At a time when the UK is facing a housing crisis, with only a quarter of the 400,000 homes the country needs being built each year, it’s never been more vital to bring neglected, empty homes back into use.

Last year, official statistics showed there were over 700,000 empty homes nationwide, showing the potential for this untapped resource to help solve the housing crisis.

This is being highlighted this week (25th November -1st December) in national Empty Homes Week.

In East Howdon, Isos is working alongside the housing team at North Tyneside Council, to bring this flat back into use, by tackling damp in the property, and renewing fixtures and fittings including the kitchen and bathroom. Across the borough, Isos is running a programme which will eventually bring 15 homes back to life.

Meanwhile, Isos is also working on a further 10 empty homes across Northumberland.

Each property brought back into use benefits from an average grant of £16,000 from the Homes and Communities Agency, and as much as £30,000 might be spent on an individual property.

Working in tandem with the HCA and its local authority partners, Isos identifies privately owned properties which landlords have been unable to let due to outstanding repair and maintenance issues.

The landlord gets the homes up to a lettable standard, then arranges for new tenants to move into the properties. Isos then manages the homes for a five year period and the rental income compensates Isos for the costs incurred, before the property is returned to the building’s owner at the end of the five years.

Depending on the extent of the work required, the owner of the property may receive a proportion of the rent charged.

Lea Smith, development and regeneration manager at Isos Housing, said: “We build over 200 new affordable homes in the North East each year, but we also know there are existing properties which are standing empty, when they should be housing people currently on waiting lists.

“We know that every time we complete the refurbishment of a property like this, another family will get the chance of a fresh start in a new home.”

Councillor John Harrison, North Tyneside Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “Our residents tell us that providing more affordable housing has to be a top priority in North Tyneside.

“It is essential that we don’t allow houses that could become homes to stand empty and become derelict eyesores for our communities. The work we are delivering with Isos is just one of the ways we can increase the number of affordable homes available for local people.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Isos Housing Group .