January

2009
THE EMPTY HOMES AGENCY
Monthly News Bulletin

Empty Homes Agency, Downstream Building, 1 London Bridge, London, SE1 9BG
Tel: 020 7022 1870 Email: shashi.ioannides@emptyhomes.com
Statements in this newsletter are for guidance only and the Empty Homes Agency will not accept
liability for losses resulting from reliance on them. Professional advice should always be obtained.
Table of Contents

1 A Word….
2 Event: Turning empty properties into homes
3 Self-help housing gets a new lease of life
4 Event: Ecobuild 2009 – 3rd – 5th March 2009
5 Other News
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1
A Word…
David Ireland, Chief Executive

I spent part of this Christmas in my hometown of Ipswich. Being on holiday I was not
particularly on the lookout for empty homes, but I could hardly miss this. When these
waterfront homes were first planned a decade ago they were supposed to help turn the town
from a working port into an executive service based economic hub. Like the local football team
that was then playing in the big-time premiership but has now had to settle for the more
modest championship - It hasn’t quite worked out. The port has disappeared downstream, but
the executives never really materialised. These new flats now have a 20% vacancy rate, a
greater proportion even than those that are owner occupied. Like almost everywhere else in
the UK the population of Ipswich is filled with ordinary people who need homes at ordinary
prices. Instead what they’ve got is homes built for a hypothetical population at hypothetical
prices. The reason they stay empty is because the owners have not yet accepted that the
prices still need to drop drastically. Only when they do, and only when people start buying or
renting them will we be able to say that housing market has bottomed out. It will happen in the
end, it always does. But the longer owners like these hang out expecting the market to rise up
and meet their valuation, the longer the downturn will be.

In the meantime the one thing that could knock some sense into this ludicrous situation is the
council using its enforcement powers to force the owners to get then occupied. Empty
Dwelling Management Orders have up until now been used only on older run-down empty
homes. But there is absolutely no reason why they can’t be used for flats like these. Indeed
with little or no refurbishment costs needed, they are low-risk and would be easy to let at the
right price. Many of them may be on the market now but it is the fact that they are marketed at
the wrong price that keeps them empty.

Ipswich is not alone there are vacant new flats across the country. But like the football team
it’s property owners needs to settle for championship rather than premiership prices. EDMOs
may seem a drastic way of getting there but the property market will be healthier sooner if
they are.

David Ireland
Chief Executive
Empty Homes Agency
Tel: 020 7022 1867
Email: david.ireland@emptyhomes.com

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2
EVENT:
Empty Homes – Turning empty
properties into homes – 17th
February 2009, Manchester

About the Event

In England alone there are approximately 720,000 empty properties, over 80% of which are in the private
sector.

With this in mind how much of a housing shortage is there? Is tackling the Empty Homes Crisis the best
way to help tackle the shortage of affordable homes? Turning empty properties into homes not only has
benefits for the local authorities but also for the wider community as empty properties look untidy, attract
crime and tie up valuable revenue.

With the 2005 Empty Homes Agency Survey finding that a single refurbished home produces 6 times less
CO2 compared to the building of a new home the event will look at the envionmental implications of
Empty Homes and their refurbishment.

The event will also look at ways communities can be involved in reducing the number of Empty Properties
through a variety of methods. Successful stories of Empty Homes will be showcased showing the positive
effect that regeneration has had on the look of the neighbourhood and what effect regeneration has had
on the wider community.

A national perspective will be given looking at what the government’s plans are regarding the current crisis
and what plans they have regarding Empty Homes and the wider government agenda. With HMR
Pathfinders being introduced to help with the problem on a regional basis but receiving criticism for their
outcomes in the local press the event will feature a lively debate between a representative of the HMR
Pathfinders and one of their critics.

Each session will include the opportunity for questions and answers from the audience and the panel.

This event is set in the North of England, an area affected by the high number of Empty Properties. It is a
partnership event between The Chartered Institute of Housing and The Empty Homes Agency.

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Benefits of attending this event

• Recognise the wider issues surrounding Empty Homes

• Gain a greater understanding of the environmental benefits of regenerating Empty Homes
• Receive top tips on how to involve the community in addressing the problem of Empty Homes
• Good Practice examples provided by organisations with Empty Homes success stories
• Network with fellow housing professionals and be involved in interactive discussions
• Participate and discuss your issues with speakers and fellow delegates
• Learn from credible and influential high profile speakers, leading housing professionals and

practitioners

Who Should Attend:

Chief Housing Officers, Directors of Housing and RSL Board Members, Heads of Allocations and Lettings,
Regeneration Directors and Managers, Market Renewal Pathfinder Executives, Chartered Surveyors and
Town Planners, Lettings Officers, Community Groups, Tenant and Resident Representatives, Empty
Property Officers, Marketing Officers, Estate Managers and Private Sector Lettings Agents.

* Programme will include:

• Overview of the problem regarding Empty Homes

• Government perspective on Empty Homes
• Community Involvement in Empty Homes strategies
• Debate discussing the success of the HMR Pathfinders Initiative
• Examination of the environmental benefits of Empty Home Renovations
• Examples of successful Empty Homes projects

* Contributions Planned From:

• David Ireland, Chief Executive, Empty Homes Agency

• Sarah Webb, Chief Executive, Chartered Institute of Housing
• John Earnshaw, Chief Executive, Lansdown Housing & Regeneration Consultancy

*Programme may be subject to minor changes

Delegate Price:

Discounted CIH Member Rate £265 +VAT | Delegate Rate £297 +VAT

Discounted CIH Member Rate applies to members who have chosen the Training and Events Flexible
Benefits Package

The delegate price includes a comprehensive delegate pack, all refreshments and lunch. You can earn up
to 4 hours towards your CIH Continual Professional Development

All prices are subject to VAT

Special Offers

Book 2 delegates and send a third delegate for half price (all 3 bookings must be received together)

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To Make a Booking
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You can book your place on this conference in one of the following ways:

• Use the CIH online booking form (Booking Code: 15918)

• Or download a booking form (PDF: 39 kb)

and return to:

CIH Training & Conferences,

Octavia House,
Westwood Way,
Coventry CV4 8JP

Tel: 024 7685 1772

Fax: 024 7642 1973
E-mail: training.conferences@cih.org

Self help housing gets a new

lease of life

self-help-housing.org
promoting community
driven housing initiatives

Community driven self-help housing is set for a new

lease of life, following the launch of a new Tudor Trust
funded project. Self-help-housing.org will publicise and
support existing community-based groups bringing empty
properties back into use and promote similar new

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initiatives, capable of capitalising on the increasing number of properties which will be left
empty by the impact of the credit crunch.

Self-Help Housing involves local people bringing back into use properties that are in limbo for
a variety of reasons, such as awaiting planning permission or for funding to become available.
Groups negotiate with the owners for their use and then organise the necessary repairs and
refits to make them habitable. The properties can then be “borrowed” on the basis of a licence
or a lease for a nominal fee over a specified period.

Young people working on a Canopy project inAs part of the project a new website will be designed to provide a national
Leeds resource and knowledge bank for existing projects, new projects, property
owners and potential funders of self-help groups. Self-help-housing.org
will also be working with second tier community housing and regeneration organisations to
stimulate new initiatives.

Jon Fitzmaurice, the project’s director said: “Over the last ten years or so self-help housing
initiatives have been in decline and fewer and fewer people seem to be aware of the
possibility of negotiating with owners of empty properties to bring them back into use for
housing or some other community purpose. The current financial crisis means that many more
properties will stand empty and so this is the perfect time to encourage local groups of people
to think seriously about what they could achieve and to provide them with access to the
necessary information and advice. We’ll also be convincing owners of the benefits of having
their empty properties occupied and petitioning funders about making finance available to help
groups take over properties.”

“We’re delighted to be involved in this project” said Heather Petch, director of hact. “Over the
last few years we’ve supported an outstanding self-help project in Leeds called Canopy, which
works with young people and refugees, and we believe that there’s lots of potential for other
groups around the country to follow their lead and establish similar initiatives.”

The website is being built by Social Spider CIC and will launch in April this year.

Fitzmaurice said: “Over the next three months we’re carrying out a mapping exercise to
identify as many existing projects as possible and we want to hear from anyone running a
self-help community project using empty property. We want to know what they’re doing
and how they’re getting on. They may or may not focus entirely on housing and they may also
have other objectives, such as providing training. Whatever they do, we want to hear from
them. Please get in touch via: jon.fitzmaurice@self-help-housing.org”

Notes

1. What Is Self-Help Housing?

Self-Help Housing is local people bringing back into use properties that are in limbo.
Groups negotiate with the owners of an empty property for its use under a lease or licence
for a fixed period and then organise whatever repairs are necessary to make it habitable.
On occasion, future plans change and the building may eventually become available on a
permanent basis. The process is generally not well publicised and both owners and people
looking for access to housing can be unaware of its benefits.

Self Help Housing has a long tradition in the UK. After the Second World War many
families became involved in doing up disused military camps and temporary housing and
throughout the 1970s and 1980s there was a boom in short life housing schemes and co-

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ops, many of which received funding from the Housing Corporation and were run on a self-
help basis.

Today there are a number of successful projects in the UK (see case study below).
However, there is very little documentation available relating to these present day initiatives
and they tend to operate below the neighbourhood renewal “radar screen”.

2. What self-help-housing.org is going to do ?

The project will be working to raise the profile of self-help housing and to help develop new
local projects principally by:

i) Creating a dedicated Self-Help Housing website for

-existing projects: helping them to make contact with one another and to share their
experiences.
-new projects: providing advice and information for people interested in setting up new
schemes and enabling them to make contact with other new and existing projects.
-owners: providing information to owners (e.g. local authorities and housing
associations) about how they can get their empty property back into use,
-funders: providing information to prospective funders interested in supporting local
schemes.

ii) Working with community, housing and regeneration organisations

- helping a variety of umbrella community, housing and regeneration organisations to
promote new Self-Help Housing projects through their mailings, publications and
events, to make contact with people interested in developing projects where they live.

iii). Encouraging owners to consider Self-Help Housing projects

- approaching and encouraging local authorities, housing associations, ALMOS and
private owners to consider Self Help-Housing as an option for protecting and improving
their properties.

iv). Working with funders

-targeting charitable and statutory funders to encourage them to consider investing in
Self-Help Housing projects.

3. Case Study: Canopy Housing Project, Leeds

Canopy was set up in 1998 in Leeds to enable vulnerable, homeless and

unemployed people aged 16-25 to create decent homes for themselves by
renovating empty properties. In the process the young people acquire practical
construction trade skills and training. So far over 30 properties in Hyde Park
and Beeston have been brought back into use.

The project is run for and by local people and has also developed a Project
Centre which provides a focus for community activity and a resource offering
computing, laundry facilities, a joinery workshop and a variety of training
activities.

Canopy has had experience of working with young people excluded from
school and has recently developed provision for refugees who they believe
particularly benefit from a supportive environment and the chance to get
involved in practical work.

4. About Self-Help-Housing.Org

Self-Help Housing. Org has been set up by three partner organisations.

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* Agents For Change: a social agency with extensive experience of empty property and
short term housing
* hact: a charitable housing trust working to assist people at the margins of housing
* Social Spider CIC: a not-for-profit design, communications and social action agency,

5. For further information, contact:

Jon Fitzmaurice, Project Director on 07939 593 251 or 0207 207 9717 or via
Jon.Fitzmaurice@self-help-housing.org

David Floyd, Technical Director 020 8521 7817

David.Floyd@self-help-housing.org

Event: ECOBUILD 2009 - 3rd - 5th

March 2009
It's free to visit Ecobuild and all its attractions, seminars and conference sessions, plus all the
events in the UKGBC Arena.

Opening times
Tuesday 03 March 10.00 – 17.00
Wednesday 04 March 10.00 – 18.00
Thursday 05 March 10.00 – 16.00

Exhibition
The Ecobuild exhibition is the biggest of its kind, anywhere in the world, with 800 suppliers of
sustainable building products and services. From building structures to SUDS, micro-renewables
to natural materials, and insulation to living roofs, you'll find it at Ecobuild.

Conference & seminars

Ecobuild's conference and seminar programme is renowned for the quality and relevance of the
information it delivers. More than 100 free sessions covering the most important and pressing
themes, and delivered by 500 highly-regarded and world-renowned speakers, make Ecobuild the
most important event of the year for built environment professionals.

Attractions

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E M P T Y H O M E S A G E N C Y

5
Ecobuild's immensely popular attractions are back for 2009 with new attractions including Renew,
Eco Interiors, Clad It and Off-grid Living - all designed to inform and to inspire, and to complement
the seminar programme.

The arena
Make sure you take your seat early for Ecobuild's Arena. The most popular new initiative in 2008,
the Arena programme for 2009 promises to be even more inspiring and entertaining than
before. It's an eclectic mix, taking in debates, interviews and keynotes that view the built
environment from a series of different perspectives - politics, art, science, philosophy and
more. Michael Portillo, Matthew Parris, Mark Lawson, James Naughtie and Dan Cruickshank are
amongst the well-known figures taking part.

To find out more information click below:

http://www.ecobuild.co.uk/page.cfm/Link=1/t=m/goSection=1

To register for your free place click on the link below:

http://www.exporeg.co.uk/reg/ebuild09/login.asp

Other News

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+++++++++

Rhondda filling its empty homes - 9th January 2009

News Wales - Knighton,UK
Three hundred empty homes in Rhondda Cynon Taf are on the way to being brought back
into use. RCT Homes says it has significantly reduced the number of its ...

Squatters evicted from £6.25m house claim £22.5m Mayfair property - 9th
January 2009
Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom
Squatting is legal if entry to an empty property is not forced, resulting in criminal damage.
Owners of the squatted building have to go to court to remove ...

Shame of the homes left to rot - 5th January 2009

Liverpool Echo - UK
A NATIONAL charity today called for an end to the scandal of Merseyside’s empty homes.
The region is one of the worst in the UK for keeping houses and flats ...

Build on past for future - 5th January 2009

Liverpool Echo - UK
THERE’S probably one near you: a derelict house blighting the neighbourhood. Empty

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E M P T Y H O M E S A G E N C Y

buildings attract vagrants and act as hide-outs and bases for criminal activity. They also
depress surrounding house values...

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For more on latest Empty Homes Agency Press Releases and Other Empty Property
News please visit:

http://www.emptyhomes.com/latestnews/latest_news.html

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