More than 400 private long-term empty homes have been transformed back into use thanks to Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Empty Property Team.
Since launching in 2021, the team has worked with landlords, homeowners, and developers to tackle problem properties; boosting housing supply, improving neighbourhoods, and removing eyesores from local communities.
One of the team’s biggest success stories is a Nelson property left empty for over a decade. Once plagued by fly-tipping, pests, and constant complaints, it’s now a fully renovated rental home.
After persistent support from the team, and the looming introduction of an Empty Property Council Tax Premium, the owner agreed to sell through action. A local developer completed the transformation, returning it to the rental market and restoring a once-derelict home back to the community.
Cllr Shayne Cook, Caerphilly Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, said “This milestone highlights the Empty Property Team’s success in tackling vacant homes, using a mix of financial support, expert guidance, and, when needed, enforcement to ensure properties are renovated, reoccupied, and brought back into beneficial use.”
“Empty properties are a blight on our communities and represent a wasted resource at a time when we face a national housing crisis. By bringing over 400 homes back into use, we’re not only tackling problem properties but also creating much-needed housing and breathing new life into neighbourhoods across the Caerphilly borough.”
