Empty properties

Empty home owners - advice and financial support

We are bringing empty properties back into use and can offer owners lots of advice and guidance including financial help, VAT advice, signposting to our relevant services such as planning and building control, signposting to other financial assistance available from central government, help in producing a schedule of works for your renovations and help in procuring builders to undertake your works.

Benefit from our Empty Homes Loan

Our Empty Homes Loan (PDF 197.4KB) offers:

  • up to £15,000 on properties that have been empty for 1 year or longer
  • no need to pay back the loan in instalments, as a charge for the loan amount will be registered against the property at the land registry. The charge remains in place for 10 or 30 years (depending on the amount of the loan you take). If the property is sold within this period then the loan is repaid (interest free) to us

An ‘enhanced’ level of funding may be available to property owners who are willing to let the renovated property at affordable rents to tenants nominated by us who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. This type of agreement is usually for 3, 5 or 10 years.

Builders who are increasing units

If you are a builder who has bought an empty property with the view to creating a number of units from the existing property, we may be able to offer significant help and would welcome the chance to discuss your proposals.

Find out more about these schemes

Further information can be found on the Empty Homes Loan Factsheet (PDF 197.4KB) , but feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Contact us

Telephone: 0300 300 8767
Email: psh@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk