EXPRESSIONS of interest are being invited from landlords and homeowners who want to apply for a grant of up to £20k from Liverpool City Council to bring an empty property back into use.

The scheme is part of a drive by the council to cut homelessness by reducing the housing waiting list.

A total of £7.3 million of grants will be made available to private sector home owners over the next 3 years to encourage them to bring 365 properties back into use.

The grant - between £5k and £20k - will be awarded in return for taking a tenant who is currently on the Housing Solutions waiting list, over a 3 year period. The landlord will receive rent at the Local Housing Allowance rate.

Applicants must renovate the property to at least the Decent Homes Standard, including ensuring there are no Category 1 Hazards that could cause serious injury or death, such as electric and gas faults.

It is estimated the scheme will save £13.3 million in reduced temporary accommodation costs.

Eligibility criteria

• You must be the owner of the property (or have an interest as 1 of the owners)
• The property must have been vacant for at least 12 months
• There must be no registered financial charges against the property 
• The applicant must not be subject to formal enforcement action for housing offences, or have outstanding Council Tax arrears against the property
• Applicants directly related to someone subject to enforcement action by the council or with outstanding Council Tax arrears, where Land Registry records show that the property has been transferred from that person to the applicant within the last 24-month period, are not eligible.    
• Grants are not available in conjunction with any other financial assistance product funded and administered through Liverpool City Council’s capital programme
• Empty Property Grants cannot be approved to develop plots of land where no dwelling exists.   

Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Hetty Wood, said:- “The homelessness crisis is affecting councils up and down the country and in Liverpool we are taking decisive action to tackle it. The Empty Homes Grant has the advantage of not just reducing the housing waiting list, but also bringing back into use properties just need some love and care to make them habitable again. Combined with other work we are doing, including creating a new customer services hub to rapidly assess homeless households, and working with social housing providers to deliver new affordable developments, we are determined to do everything in our power to make sure people in Liverpool have a decent roof over their head.”

Expressions of interest can be made by visiting this website.