Council Losing Thousands From Vacant Chiswick Properties

Nearly £20,000 lost in rent and one house vacant two years

Hounslow Council has lost almost £12,000 in rental income from a six-bedroom house in Grove Park which has been lying vacant since 2011. Another property in Edensor Road has lost the Council nearly £7000 since being vacated by tenants.

The Council says repair work is now being carried out on the properties and one will be put up for sale while the other will provide temporary accommodation.

Councillor John Todd (Cons) recently criticised the Council for having over 230 properties across the borough lying 'void' at a revenue loss of over £1 million.

The property in Park Road is owned by the Council and has been empty since December 5th 2011 with rent missed estimated at £11,947. The rental income lost from the Edensor Road property is estimated to be £7,099.

Cllr Todd commented: "This is one of many properties owned by LBH that lie empty whilst the demand for social/affordable housing remains at a very high level. This 6 bedroom property has been unoccupied  since  December 2011 and remains so.  The resultant  loss of rent  is in the region of £12,000.   

"Records show that major work was due. The property shows  signs of refurbishment but no sign of recent entry to complete the work. LBH  also use private landlords to assuage their housing  demand yet regrettably fail to use their properties efficiently."

Cllr Todd at the property

In a statement in response Cllr Steve Curran , cabinet member for housing, planning and regeneration at the council, said: “I agree that a number of our empty council homes have remained vacant for far too long, but we are working hard to rectify that situation and reduce any loss of income from empty homes.

“We are hoping to sell the property on Park Road in the near future, so we can reinvest in properties in the area. The property on Edensor Road is currently being refurbished for use as temporary accommodation to help struggling local families facing homelessness.”

The Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee has recently agreed to look into the matter of vacant Council properties across the borough.

February 21, 2014