THE house is unrecognisable from its previous life.

Gone are the shabby windows, tatty door and peeling paintwork and in their place a smart end-terrace that has been turned into a desirable home.

Anyone travelling from Denholme to Keighley will have witnessed the transformation of this run-down property, which had previously stood empty. The end-terrace house was bought by Bradford Council through compulsory purchase, sold at auction and renovated by the new owner, who had passed it many times and seen it deteriorate.

“The owner wanted to buy an empty property and provide a good quality home for a family,” says Bradford Council’s empty homes and loans manager David North. “A tenant is moving in soon.”

It is just one success story that is being highlighted during national Empty Homes Week, which runs until Sunday.

Homes can become empty for many reasons including financial problems, marriage breakdown, mental illness and death. If neglected, their presence can blight a neighbourhood, attracting vandalism and other forms of anti-social behaviour.

“Thankfully, this is the minority,” says David. “Most are secure and not causing problems.”

Every October Bradford Council submits empty home figures to the Government. This year, Bradford reported 7791 properties across the district. Of these 4154 are classed as long-term, being empty for more than six months.

Figures for long-term empty homes have risen slightly from 3942 last year, however numbers can fluctuate week by week, particularly at the beginning of the university term when student homes fill up.

New development has added than 1,500 homes to the housing stock, which can also impact upon numbers. And a change in the way some properties are counted has also impacted upon the number.

The success that Bradford is experiencing in tackling the issue can be seen in the long-term. Over the past five years the number of long-term empty homes in the district has fallen from 7,302 to 4154.

Empty Homes Week celebrates achievements by local authorities and other bodies in bringing properties back into use, and sets out future plans to help meet housing needs.

In Bradford, the team tackling the issue find out about empty properties from sources including the public, neighbourhood wardens, police, fire service and councillors, as well as using their own data.

If a house is causing problems within a neighbourhood and all efforts to remedy the situation have failed, enforcement action can be taken. “We risk assess properties, including its impact upon other properties,” says David. “Compulsory purchase is a last resort, when we have worked with the owner as far as possible.”

At present 16 properties are subject to this process.

Integral to each scheme is sustainable funding. “The aim with empty properties is to recycle funding so that more properties can be brought back into use,” adds David.

A number of new initiatives are being developed. The Council is working with various partners to offer options to empty property owners, including looking at unoccupied ex right-to-buy properties.

Says Councillor Valerie Slater, Bradford Council’s executive member for housing, planning and transport.

“People may have bought many years ago and possibly died or gone into care or failed to keep up payments.”

The Council also works with partners, including Bradford Youthbuild Trust, that offer young people and apprentices in the construction industry the chance to renovate empty properties.

A team specialising in the private rented sector has also been created to liaise with landlords and potential tenants.

“The Council has to provide a private sector option to the public,” explains David. “We are building up a list of landlords and we will inspect properties to ensure they are of a reasonable standard and help find tenants.”

A leasing scheme may also be developed whereby the Council leases a property from a landlord.

“One of the biggest barriers to bringing homes back into use is that owners often worry about finding a tenant,” says David.

Bradford Council has also used previously empty homes to showcase energy-efficient measures. A three-storey property in Keighley has been revamped in this way and will be viewed by the public before it becomes a home.

“It includes ‘room in roof’ insulation, under-floor insulation, energy-efficient double glazing and a good quality condensing boiler,” says Bradford Council sustainability officer Pete Betts.

Private landlords are being encouraged to visit the house, which is being transformed in partnership with Better Homes Bradford and partly financed by the Government’s Green Deal Community Fund.

It is situated in an area with high levels of fuel poverty. “We would like landlords to see what can be done, to retain heat and lower bills,” adds Valerie.