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  • 09-03 Lib Dem EH Initiative

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    The Empty Homes Agency welcomes new proposals from the Liberal Democrats to tackle Britain's empty homes crisis. The proposals include equalizing VAT on renovations and new builds, amending commercial property rate relief rules, and introducing loan schemes and funding to refurbish empty homes. The Agency's policy advisor, Henry Oliver, praised the comprehensive approach and focus on using empty commercial properties as temporary housing. He noted the growing consensus across opposition parties on the need for urgent action on empty homes, and questioned whether the government would join in addressing the problem.

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    The Empty Homes Agency welcomes new proposals from the Liberal Democrats to tackle Britain's empty homes crisis. The proposals include equalizing VAT on renovations and new builds, amending commercial property rate relief rules, and introducing loan schemes and funding to refurbish empty homes. The Agency's policy advisor, Henry Oliver, praised the comprehensive approach and focus on using empty commercial properties as temporary housing. He noted the growing consensus across opposition parties on the need for urgent action on empty homes, and questioned whether the government would join in addressing the problem.

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    09-03 Lib Dem EH Initiative

    Uploaded by

    Empty Homes
    The Empty Homes Agency welcomes new proposals from the Liberal Democrats to tackle Britain's empty homes crisis. The proposals include equalizing VAT on renovations and new builds, amending commercial property rate relief rules, and introducing loan schemes and funding to refurbish empty homes. The Agency's policy advisor, Henry Oliver, praised the comprehensive approach and focus on using empty commercial properties as temporary housing. He noted the growing consensus across opposition parties on the need for urgent action on empty homes, and questioned whether the government would join in addressing the problem.

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    19th February 2009

    Embargoed: not for publication before 12.00 hrs Thursday 19 February 2009

    Empty Homes Agency welcomes Lib Dem empty homes proposals

    The Empty Homes Agency welcomes new Liberal Democrat proposals for
    tackling Britain’s empty homes crisis.

    Henry Oliver, Policy Advisor to the Empty Homes Agency, said:

    “This is an excellent set of ideas that together comprises a comprehensive


    approach to addressing the mounting scandal of almost a million empty
    homes across the UK”.

    We’ve just seen the biggest annual jump in the number of empty homes for
    seventeen years. In England alone there are now at least 300,000 long-term
    empty properties. At the same time we have 1.8 million households on
    housing waiting lists. We need to take urgent action to address this before it
    gets even worse”.

    In a briefing at Westminster today (Thursday), Liberal Democrat MPs Sarah


    Teather and Vincent Cable argued that it is now time to:

    • equalise VAT on renovation and new-build;


    • amend commercial property rate relief rules to allow owners of empty
    commercial property used temporarily as housing to continue to claim
    rate relief;
    • introduce a Repair and Renewal loan scheme for owners of empty
    properties if they agree to lease them for at least five years to housing
    associations as social housing;
    • allow housing associations and local authorities to use funding from the
    Homes and Communities Agency to refurbish newly purchased private
    empty homes; and
    • make £40m available in Homes and Communities Agency grant for
    short-life (‘property guardian’) housing.

    Henry Oliver continued:

    “What’s really encouraging about the Lib Dems’ proposals is the commitment
    to equalising VAT on refurbishment and new build, as well as the focus on
    putting the growing stock of empty commercial buildings into good use now as
    short-life housing”.

    Coming hot on the heels of proposals from the Conservatives, this shows
    there is a growing consensus across the main opposition parties over the
    need to take urgent action on empty homes. The question now is whether the
    Government will join that consensus or continue to neglect the problem”.

    Ends

    Note:
    The Empty Homes Agency estimates that empty homes across the whole of the UK stood at
    943,000 in 2008.
    The HSSA data for April 2008 showed 309,000 privately owned long-term empty homes
    (DCLG, January 2009).

    For more details or to arrange an interview please contact:

    Henry Oliver, Policy Advisor


    020 7022 1869 (o)
    020 7231 3128 (h)
    henry.oliver@emptyhomes.com

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