We are committed to reducing the number of empty properties in Brent. We can offer generous grants and incentive schemes to help owners bring these properties back into residential use.
If you leave a property empty, the condition and value of your property will depreciate, the property could be the target of arson, vandalism, squatters and attract pests. You may be faced with high insurance premiums, and you will receive no rental income.
From 1 April 2024 owners of homes left empty for more than a year will be charged twice the usual Council Tax rate. This premium will increase the longer the property remains empty. Find out more about empty property charges.
If a property remains empty for a long time there are legal powers we can use to take it over.
Tell us if you know of any empty properties in your area. It might be empty if the windows have been broken for a long time, post has not been collected, windows and doors have been boarded up and the rooms are always in darkness.
Email: empty.property@brent.gov.uk, or call 020 8937 2384 choose option 1, then option 4.
If you have an empty property and want to apply for a grant, or need help and advice to bring it back into use, email: empty.property@brent.gov.uk or call 020 8937 2384 choose option 1, then option 4.
A grant can be given to refurbish an empty property to a standard ready for letting. In return, the owner will sign an agreement with the council or one of our partner housing association letting schemes to take tenants for a period of three or five years.
This grant may cover works such as faulty and unsafe electrics, inferior heating system, windows that are so faulty as to be very poor insulation, inadequate kitchen food safety or food preparation arrangements and bathrooms that are very old.
It may also cover work to provide additional bedroom(s), subject to relevant planning and building control approval.
This grant can help pay for converting a large empty home into smaller units or a commercial premises into residential properties. This is always subject to full planning consent.
Grants for empty commercial properties can help towards the cost of conversion into residential units.
We can provide grants of up to:
The Empty Property Team can also provide support with planning applications.
To be eligible to apply you must be:
Grants are available to improve houses, flats or commercial units that cannot be occupied because of disrepair such as damp, faulty wiring or rotten timbers. Grants can also be used for converting commercial properties to residential use.
We are looking for:
Yes, improvement such as a new kitchen or bathroom may be considered alongside other works that would qualify for a grant.
The amount of grant you will receive is dependent on the size of the property and the number of people that can occupy it.
You may receive a grant of up to 70 per cent of the cost of repair works, or a maximum of £6,500 per person that can occupy your property, whichever is lower. The grant is not means tested, companies as well as individuals can apply.
A one-bedroom property is at 50 per cent, two bedroom properties at 60 per cent and three bedroom and larger are 70 per cent, or at the level of £6,500 for every person that could be accommodated.
The approved grant would be the lower of the two calculations and a decision on what may be grant aided will be made only after our surveyor has visited the property.
For example: for a two bedroom property, you could get up to £26,000 in grant aid for refurbishment or conversion works and a potential average rental income of £14,500 per year.
If you have an empty property and want to apply for a grant, or need help and advice to bring it back into use, email the Empty Property team: empty.property@brent.gov.uk or call 020 8937 2384.
A grant can be given to refurbish an empty property to a standard ready for letting. In return, the owner will sign an agreement with the council or one of our partner housing association letting schemes to take tenants for a period of five years.
Once you have signed and returned the application pack and works are complete, you will need to supply us with:
For the grant to be paid, Brent’s Empty Property Team must have a completed and fully signed three or five year lease or nomination agreement for the letting scheme you have chosen. Please send a copy of the final agreement to your Empty Property Case Officer.
You can opt for a managed scheme, either through the Council or Housing Association (Resident Social Landlord), alternatively you could choose to manage the property yourself.
This is dependent on the letting scheme that you chose, but we offer both guaranteed and non-guaranteed rental schemes.
To discuss the letting options available to you, email landlords@brent.gov.uk, or call 020 8937 2777.
Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm