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  • The quickest way to pay for your garden waste permit is online. Our phone lines are extremely busy. If you encounter any issues, this may be due to the high volume of users – please try again later. − Pay here: www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/gardenwaste

Are you an empty home owner?

As the owner of an empty home, you are losing potential rental revenue and will have to pay costs for rubbish and garden clearance, graffiti removal or boarding up the home. Alongside increased council tax premiums, you will also pay increased insurance for an empty or dilapidated property.

Our Empty Homes service offers homeowners information, advice and support to bring their empty properties back into use.

Additional revenue

We could visit the property to help you understand what work would need to be completed so that the property would be in a condition to rent.

Once your home is ready to move into, you can get free help to rent out your property. This includes finding you tenants and a guarantee to cover loss or damage to the property (beyond fair wear and tear). If you would like to find out what we can offer, and how our White Horse Lettings scheme might work for you email emptyhomes@southandvale.gov.uk for support.

You could also rent your property privately yourself or use an agency. For more information and advice on letting your property, contact:

Refurbishing the property

Whether to be occupied by you as the owner, put on the open market for sale or to rent the property out, bringing the property up to the Decent Homes Standard is an option available. In order to achieve this, there is help and assistance available with the following:

  • VAT reduction on renovations for properties empty for at least two years 

Renovations and alterations to residential properties that have been empty for at least two years will be eligible for a reduced VAT rate of 5%. If you decide to refurbish a property that has been empty for two or more years, the District Council can provide you with a VAT letter which may reduce the VAT. More information can be found on the government website and via HMRC.

  • Planning Advice

If you decide to undertake a refurbishment or major works to the property, you may need to get building control approval or planning permission. It can be worthwhile getting advice from the Council prior to work commencing, or prior to submitting a planning application. Information on planning guidelines, pre-planning advice and the application process can be found on our website.

  • Help to make your property more energy efficient:

You may be eligible for financial help to make the property more energy efficient – Better Housing Better Health can provide advice on the assistance available for energy saving home improvements like cavity wall and loft insulation. If you would like further information, please visit www.bhbh.org.uk or call 0800 107 0044

Selling the property

You could sell the property through an estate agent, at auction or by advertising the property yourself, which could reduce the costs incurred by you.

If you are an empty home owner, we can help you. Please email emptyhomes@southandvale.gov.uk and we can discuss the help available to return your property to use. Please complete the Empty Homes questionnaire – this will help us understand more about your property and circumstances and how we can help further.