Housing: Empty Property

Margaret Moran
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local councils have brought into use empty private sector properties under the Housing Act 2004.

Yvette Cooper
Local authorities have a range of powers to bring empty properties back into use. The provision in the Housing Act for Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMOs) is just one of a range of measures and in many areas is used to encourage landlords to take action on a voluntary basis. Since the commencement of the Housing Act 2004 in April 2007, three interim EDMOs have received authorisation (Norwich, Peterborough and South Oxfordshire).

Margaret Moran
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she plans to take to regularise the definition of empty homes for the purposes of comparative council performance in respect of the Housing Act 2004.

Yvette Cooper
We have no plans to make any changes to the Housing Act 2004 in respect of the Empty Dwelling Management Orders provisions.