Empty homes owners

If you own an empty home, you may be having difficulty deciding your best options. We have a dedicated advice and information service for owners of empty homes. 

An empty home is a privately-owned property that has been vacant for 6 months or more.

There may be a good reason why your property is being kept empty or it may have become 'stuck' as an empty home. Whatever the reason for your empty home, we want to help bring it back into use. We can provide advice and information on the following:

• General maintenance
• Repairs and renovations
• Letting
• Selling
• Contact

General maintenance

Even if your empty property is in good condition now, it can be subject to deterioration, increased risk of vandalism and criminal damage, and ongoing maintenance and repair costs are likely to occur. You may even have a mortgage for your empty property and are struggling to meet the repayments. 

These leaflets can give you advice on how to prevent or reduce the possibility of any repair costs costs as well as how to help with your mortgage repayments:

• Keeping your empty home safe and secure (PDF 216KB)
  
• Responsibility to maintain (PDF 270KB)
• Mortgage arrears and repossessions (PDF 230KB)

Repairing and renovations

If you are refurbishing an empty property to bring it back into use as housing, these leaflets give information of possible discounts and reduced VAT rates that may be available to you and who you can contact for further advice and guidance:

• Empty homes - 2 years reduced VAT rate (PDF 244KB)
• Empty homes - 10 years reduced VAT rate (PDF 606KB)
• Conversion of empty buildings to create housing (PDF 227KB)
• Renovating your empty home - energy efficiency funding (PDF 300KB)
• Renovations overview (PDF 210KB)
• Service and merchants' discounts (PDF 256KB)

Letting

A 2 bed property rented out at current 2018 Local Housing Allowance rates could potentially generate a rental income of approximately £7,180 over a 12-month period (equivalent to £138.08 per week).

It may be worth taking the time to consider if this is an option for your empty property. If you are thinking of becoming a landlord there are certain criteria that both you and your property need to meet, and these leaflets offer advice and information on how to do this:

• Renting your empty property (PDF 344KB)
• Sweat Equity (PDF 621KB)

Selling

There are various ways to sell your property and the following leaflets cover some of the usual routes as well as alternatives you may not have thought of. There are also tips on how to prepare your home for sale and how to present your home to make it look more marketable to potential buyers:

• Estate agents and selling tips (PDF 201KB)
• Selling your empty home at auction (PDF 215KB)
• Selling your empty home developer day (PDF 251KB)
• Selling your empty home - increasing saleability (PDF 251KB)
• Valuations and home reports (PDF 375KB)

Contact

For any empty property enquiry please contact emptyhomes@aberdeenshire.gov.uk.