Deal to see Bradford Council lease private homes (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Deal to see Bradford Council lease private homes

11:00am Monday 23rd July 2012 in Bradford By Dolores Cowburn, Bradford Chief Reporter

Bradford Council has entered into a leasing scheme with a social landlord to provide 120 affordable homes in the district by 2015.

The Council, in partnership with Incommunities, has been awarded £900,000 from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) to work with private landlords to bring empty properties back into use.

Councillor Val Slater (Lab), responsible for planning, Barra Mac Ruairi, the strategic director for regeneration and culture, and Stuart Mckinnon-Evans, the director of finance, have been given the task to get the contracts with Incommunities and the HCA signed.

Once all 120 homes have been secured the Council will receive a further £804,000 from the Government in the form of new homes bonus.

The private sector leasing scheme will give owners of empty homes the opportunity to lease their properties for affordable housing for a minimum of five years and access funding to bring their property up to the standard required in the social housing sector.

The Council is now appealing for people with empty homes to apply for the scheme.

The news is a further boost for the Telegraph & Argus’ Green Spaces Campaign. One of the campaign’s goals is to see derelict and empty houses brought back into use to reduce the need for new homes on green sites.

Coun Slater said: “We hope to sign up 25 homes by March 2013. Most of these homes have been empty for at least six months.

“When you have a long-term empty property it can bring areas down and we want to improve that.

“It is about delivering affordable homes for people in areas where we are getting rid of what could be a blight on neighbourhoods. But also we are providing some affordable accommodation for those who desperately need it.”

For more information contact the empty homes team on (01274) 434520.