Forum Topic

Empty flats

My dentist is a Point Pleasant and I've noticed a new build  low rise block of flats, Alice Court, 92 Putney Bridge Road, on the corner with Point Pleasant. Last year there was a large placard advertising that all the flats have been sold but today I saw that there are some remaining for sale (or have come back onto the market). Not a single flat appear to be lived in.Anyone know what is going on when so many people are unable to buy or rent in London now, how a whole block of flats remains empty?

Lucille Grant ● 1169d37 Comments

https://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/news/affordable-housing-scheme-in-london-left-unfinished-for-seven-years-now-needs-recladding-79113

Philippa Bond ● 1160d

Andy  With a growing number of older people these more accessible homes must be even more necessary.  I remember suddenly finding that FIL's friends were no longer visiting certain places and one of the main reasons was the inaccessibility.  Doors too narrow to get one of those three wheeled rollators through for instance or steps in to the dentists or post office or solicitors with no handrail.  It is hard enough trying to get out and about without finding that you can't access buildings despite accessibility legislation.  The number of accessible meeting places suddenly depleted.  So it is worth anyone realising that they haven't seen anyone for a while doing something to find out why!FIL also found PIR lighting in the hospital bathroom where you have to wave to turn it back on if you decide to spend a little longer resting on the loo before trekking back to bed a bit of a shock at first (when the lights go off and it is suddenly dark) but later amusing and the movement sensors in the care home which alert the nursing station so night staff appeared each time he got out of bed a bit surprising.

Philippa Bond ● 1162d

Lifetime homes can only go so far.An kitchen adaptation for a wheelchair user is of limited use to someone who gas sight difficulties.However, as the portfolio of adapted properties increases it can be possible to select someone more suitable for a particular adaptation that has already been done and to just tweak it.At WBC we had ( hopefully still have) a policy of looking at all ground floor vacancies to see if they were suitable to be adapted for someone on the waiting list for an adapted property.Some adaptations are more permanent than others ie a through floor lift, wide gate doorways, walk in shower rooms  against manger bath lifts, etc. We were also looking at sensory adaptations for those with dementure that warned if a client left a pan on the heat or was up and wandering at night. This coupled with the watch scheme offered significant assistance. Local authorities are pretty well versed in all this and are carrying out significant numbers of minor and major adaptations every year.

Andy Pike ● 1162d

I'd also comment that lifts nowadays are not such a wonderful answer as you might think as they are invariably made abroad with various bits and pieces that when needed have to be procured from all around the world.  Consequently a lift can be out of order for some time.  A building designed so there is an alternative lift accessible for at least part of the journey up is very welcome.

Philippa Bond ● 1162d

Andy  I was pleasantly surprised that this was the case.  I shouldn't have put a comma after ground floor I think it gave the wrong impression.  I agree that many adaptations may be unsuitable for another tenant but surely the fact that these adaptations may well be to a ground floor flat in a world of increasingly high-rise less accessible buildings should be preserved for those less able to negotiate stairs.What happened to the designing of buildings suitable for a person's lifetime that was so promoted some years ago?Adapting buildings can be very expensive.

Philippa Bond ● 1162d

They do if they have been substantially adapted for a disabled person. However one mans adaptation may not be suitable for another. And of course the sitting tenant has the right to appeal that refusal.Sheltered Housing has always been exempt from Rtb.Of course Phillipa there are always exceptions to the rule but very small numbers.

Andy Pike ● 1162d

Here are some others.  It seems there is a group looking at all the empty buildings that could be being lived in.  Sometimes it takes Councils years to sort out their empty housing.https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/block-of-70-flats-left-empty-for-seven-years/

Philippa Bond ● 1162d

But there are several reasons including 'other conditions' which are listed as to why you may not get the RTB of particular properties including when they are particularly suitable for the elderly or have been altered to be suitable for the elderly.  Ground floor flats surely may at times come into that category.

Philippa Bond ● 1162d

Would you repeat my last sentence, which was a question please.I cannot find it!Thank you

Ivonne Holliday ● 1166d

Ground floor flats are not exempt from RTB Phillipa

Andy Pike ● 1166d

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/renting-privately/during-your-tenancy/if-you-get-a-section-21-notice/There is also info on a Section 8 notice which you could get if you are in rent arrears.One of the results of the existence of a Section 21 No faults notice is that tenants can be worried about reporting any problem with their home in case it becomes an excuse for the landlord to issue them with a notice.  The lack of housing means that they may feel that they have to put up with very poor housing...

Philippa Bond ● 1166d

Sorry made a mess of editing the previous post.  Think you'll have the gist.No fault evictions:  Section 21 NoticesThere is a white paper outlining proposals to abolish the Section 21 notice and put in place a simpler more secure tenancy BUT this has not happened yet.  Rupa Huq MP was asking questions about this in the House this week of Dominic Raab standing in for Rishi Sunak.With the cost of living crisis this has become more urgent.

Philippa Bond ● 1166d

Ivonne  It was part of your last sentence - which was a question.  The push has been to create homes and since Councils never got the whole of the Right to Buy receipts and it was made difficult for them to do their own building as Govt provides their funding.  There was a lot of Council housing stock which was run down after Thatcher. The underlying intention was to roll back the state.  New construction of social housing was then entrusted to housing associations and similar with funding provided by largely by taxation of private housing development which has resulted in significant delays in the planning process and pushed up the Then followed private we got private puts up the cost of private housing  of land, puts up the price of housing and land.  This has also impacted the cost of land for all other types of development so adding to the overhead costs of the whole country.  The running down of public and social housing post Thatcher and the failure to achieve housing construction targets in general with evidence that a large proportion of council properties sold to tenants has ended up in the private rented sector at typically very high rental cost has naturally resulted in an increase in homelessness and the availability of decent housing right across the board.

Philippa Bond ● 1166d

Did I ask anything about renting, Philippa? I am aware of Maggie Thatcher's policies.  What I do not remember from her time is the level of homelessness.  Do you?

Ivonne Holliday ● 1166d

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-7747/It is good to see that sometimes homes that otherwise might have had been available to be sold under Right to Buy aren't - particularly ground floor, easily accessible and those that are specifically designed as sheltered housing.It is always disappointing when developers manage to avoid building the number of affordable homes in a development that are asked for.  In answer to Ivonne's question about renting in particular this goes back to Margaret Thatcher wanting to create a nation of home owners.  This is part of the neoliberal ideal of rolling back the state.  Unlike some other countries the UK has AFAIK always had fewer rented homes.

Philippa Bond ● 1167d

There has been more than one attempt to try to gethomes made available to Londoners first - or suggest that they are:https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases-6319

Philippa Bond ● 1167d

The cost of housing in London as a result of the shortage is a huge problem - and so much of that is now being built and sold off plan to overseas buyers and marketed only abroad not here - not that many or any of those desperately in need of homes here could afford to buy them.  Many of these are empty.  Just walk along by Imperial Wharf and there are plenty of flats with no lights on in the evenings and I'm sure that is the same in many other parts of London.There is not enough truly affordable housing in the UK considering how much many people are able to earn despite working several jobs.  There are a lot of working people who  are also on benefits and need to use foodbanks.

Philippa Bond ● 1167d

Not sure any Council has the legal powers to do that.

Andy Pike ● 1167d

David. With that type of portfolio it's diversified to protect against one element performing poorly plus they'd be taking a long term view. If everything tanks a d doesn't recover then we're all in a mess ... say goodbye to yer pensions ...

Michael Ixer ● 1167d

"If they're not letting them then these investments have a negative cost - service charges and ground rents - so they must be hoping for a reasonable capital gain?"Compare UK house price rises over a recent period with UK inflation over the same period?

David Ainsworth ● 1167d

I don't own a second home either. I think it is criminal for these empty flats not to be occupied. The Council should take them over and put homeless people in them. *Getsmyhat*

Lucille Grant ● 1167d

I remember a programme TV where the celebrity presenter was visiting the council house that he was brought up in.  He commented on the fact that although so many on the street where he lived were now privately owned those that were in a better state of repair were those that were still being maintained by the Council (and those residents) ie there are a lot of problems caused by the now absent landlords not managing their properties well.

Philippa Bond ● 1167d

Many of these properties are bought purely as investments by wealthy overseas investors. They form part of an investment portfolio alongside the usual shares, commodities, cash, and, possibly these days, cryptocurrencies. If they're not letting them then these investments have a negative cost - service charges and ground rents - so they must be hoping for a reasonable capital gain?And, no, I don't own a holiday home.

Michael Ixer ● 1168d

"Indeed how many of the people on this forum do just that?"If it helps, not me. Even though my loft and shed are full of rubbish (mostly)

David Ainsworth ● 1168d

Interesting debate  but how many brits have 2nd properties abroad that lie empty for long periods or in Devon  Cornwall and Wales pricing locals out of their own neighbourhoods.Indeed how many of the people on this forum do just that?

Andy Pike ● 1168d

It is not explicit in the article but one of the worst features for local people is that because the project is by an overseas company the first release of flats is to overseas buyers only. A few years ago we wanted to buy a flat on URR but we were told we could not do so yet by the marketing company at the building. However, when we contacted their Singapore branch we were welcomed (until they found out our address). In the building in which we lived at the time there were 4 penthouse flats, all owned by the same person and purchased before anyone in this country was allowed to even enquire.So we give all the profits away to overseas investors at every level other than the original land sale.

Mark Ramsdale ● 1168d

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/feb/14/battersea-nine-elms-property-development-housing

Matt Palmer ● 1168d

I ghought there was a big rush to build before the new Building Safety Act camdcame into force?https://www.cibsejournal.com/opinion/why-building-safety-act-will-mean-radical-change/

Philippa Bond ● 1168d

Coming over here and investing in our open market! Just doesn't sound very logical to me.It also ignores the fact that lots of UK residence have also invested in property as an alternative to tradition pensions and other investments.The situation is not helped when successive chancellors change pension rules without sufficient notice.Better pension regulations and rent controls would be a start.As far as I'm aware council tax and service charges are still be liable on empty properties and I guess if they all turned their lights on ours may go off this winter!There are some countries that do not have an open market but given the UK's economic outlook and the dependency on inflated house prices for decades it isn't going to happen.Another point that is missed is that many people prefer to be single and not to cohabit.Perhaps we should introduce that happiness tax that Cameron was going on about years ago??

Ed Robinson ● 1168d

"so many horrible blocks of flats have been built round the original building, obscuring the view of it from most angles, all in pursuit of profit""It became necessary to destroy the power station to save it"?

David Ainsworth ● 1168d

Many Councils are buying back RTB homes.  Many that were bought under RTB have ended up being rented back to Councils so this is a logical step.  https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/mayor-hails-success-of-right-to-buy-back

Philippa Bond ● 1168d

That's a fair point, Andy, but is (as you suggest) a minor issue beside the massive failure to introduce a decent level of affordable housing. I might also have mentioned the way so many horrible blocks of flats have been built round the original building, obscuring the view of it from most angles, all in pursuit of profit

Richard Carter ● 1168d

"It used to be you had to have a connection with the Borough to register for housing but that is not ( hope I'm still up to date on this)  now the case."Was that to allow for housing political refugees from Labour Lambeth?

David Ainsworth ● 1169d

Richard you are correct on most of what you say. However to be just a little picky the 3500 registered as homeless are not all local ( though the majority are) and not all families. A number are single people who have left home following a family dispute etc.In that report the number housed temporarily in psl ( private sector leasing) schemes ( around 700) are largely in ex Council properties sold under RTB.!!Doesnt make sense at all.Though the new Council aim to reduce this figure its going to be very difficult to achieve.  Once word gets out that's its 'possible' to get rehoused in Wandsworth then the list could actually grow.It used to be you had to have a connection with the Botough to register for housing but that is not ( hope I'm still up to date on this)  now the case.

Andy Pike ● 1169d

Battersea Power Station is a perfect example of what's wrong with our housing policy and specifically, with the previous Wandsworth Council's: flats are being sold for millions of pounds after the developers slashed the level of affordable housing from 15 per cent to 9 per cent in the development, at a time when thousands of people are waiting for a permanent home in the area.Studio flats start at £560,000, with one-beds from £850,000 and a three-bedroom rooftop villa starting at £7 million - and how many of these flats are or will be occupied, with fears they are just being bought up as an investment? More than 3,500 local families were classed as statutorily homeless in the borough in a recent council report. https://www.wandsworthguardian.co.uk/yoursay/news/23059207.million-pound-flats-battersea-power-station-thousands-wait-housing-list/

Richard Carter ● 1169d

Yes, all those luxury flats that are empty.....  It is really sickening!

Ivonne Holliday ● 1169d

land banked by foreign investors i imagine. Just take a look at the huge new developments near Vauxhall station, hardly any lights on at night.

Matt Palmer ● 1169d