To just use the decade long abandoned house on my street?

[CheekyBeggar]

I moved into my house ten years ago, and noticed an empty house with a badly grown garden opposite us.

The house has never had anyone come into or out if it. The garden was overgrown to the point that you couldn’t see the front door but apart from that the house appears sound. I was originally concerned that it was an elderly neighbour so went around to check.

I say the garden ‘was’ overgrown because about five years ago I’d had enough and I started clearing the front out. I’ve been doing it regularly to keep it ok ish looking.

I’ve reported it to the council three times, they say they haven’t got the ‘funds’ available to do anything about it.

I’ve contacted the land registry and tried to chase down the prior owner, but from what I can gather they had the house repossessed, by a mortgage/debt company that has since folded and that I can’t contact either.

My neighbour must have gotten confused and today when I was tidying up the fly tipping that happens regularly outside there, he demanded to know when I was going to do something with the place. He thought that I owned it.

When I told dh this he said he’d been looking it up and that we should just change the locks on the house (the back foot has been open for some time, some youths broke into it a few years ago. I boarded it up and left it.) and claim squatters rights in ten years.

I’ve googled it myself and it all looks very complicated and I don’t really understand how it can be legal? But it’s always been such an eyesore that I must admit the idea of going in and tidying it up does appeal to me.

Or are there other avenues I could go down instead? I’ve tried a few companies who say they will deal with abandoned hoses but they all seem to be based in London, we are much further north.

Just don't touch a thing in the old nursery ...

Oooh yes, because everyone wants a crowd of grubby squatters living next door! Lovely.

Agree that Bona Vacantia is probably the way to go. Or Land Registry - there must be an owner registered somewhere.

Could you not just move in, paint and decorate and inhabit it. Pay down your council tax on it and let your current house out. If anyone ever comes forward, hand the keys over with a smile and move back to your original home.

I'm astonished anyone would feel such a massive sense of entitlement that they feel they can take what doesn't belong to them. What an utterly silly idea, given that you can't move back to a property you've let out without proper notice to your tenant and even then, there's a chance that tenant won't leave and you'd be forced to evict them. And all so you can gain something that isn't yours? The mind boggles.

Wouldn’t it be fantastic if you could somehow secure it for the charity?

Does the Charity happen to have a property lawyer associated in any way?

Can you write to your MP? Maybe explain about the charity you are involved in and ask whether they can help with tracing owners / liaising with the council about donating it to the charity?

Move in, if anyone claims it move out. By the way if it is number 15, hands off I saw it first!

Agreed @LeftRightCentre, this thread is bizarre.

OP, you simply won't get something for nothing. I seriously wouldn't put any energy into anything as half baked as this.

You can report it as abandoned property to your council. They than track the owner and make them take care of it or sell it.
Houses like this can drag value of the whole street down

I don’t get this mindset at all. Why should you or your chosen charity get it? What if someone else on the street wants it and has a more deserving charity? What makes you so special?

Shameless placemarking to see what you do! If you do take it on please take before and after pictures! (Nosey and proud!)

Sorry op I had read about you doing the garden, then that you contacted the council. I had thought you’d contacted the council to sort the over grown garden and they refused.

I wouldn’t tell the district council you’re moving in - they’ll jump on you to pay the council tax 😲 then you’ll be paying on both

oooh @sarahjconnor

how exciting and how lovely!

Go for it, it’s worth spending money on legal advice first, but in your shoes I would go for it. A few years ago now, there was a empty Edwardian house I used to walk past a couple of times a week, i would always look and wonder if it was a legal issue or will problems. it was empty for 7 YEARS before I saw work being done on it, and eventually people moved it. It looked lovely when it was spruced up.

Well you've tried everything to get someone to take notice, so yeah, I'd set it up as yours. In twelve years time it just might be,

How fascinating! Good luck whatever you do.

I get what you’re saying OP. We’ve lived in our road more than 15 years and the house at the end has slowly decayed.

I have to go past it every day and it’s so sad, as it was once a lovely house. The council DID do something because cowboy builders took all the roof tiles off and it was a safety hazard. Council made it safe, forced a sale to recoup losses and last week someone finally showed up to sort it out. I’m so glad and I hope they keep the original facade.

I believe the council tax exemption is for repossessed properties that are unoccupied and where the mortgage company is in possession. I don’t think it would apply once someone else is living there or has taken ownership (although I could be wrong about that, I’m not an expert)

www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1992/558/article/3/made

Class L in the above document.

There is a house at the end of our street that has been empty for about 9 years or so. Aaccording to our neighbours the couple who lived there split, he sadly had a nervous breakdown and moved out to live with his mother. He won’t sell as our neighbours have tried to get it, the rates and taxes haven’t been paid for years.
It has gradually got more and more run down, and the municipality here eventually bricked up the windows and doors to keep squatters out. The pool is like a swamp, god knows what is living in it, the roof is falling in, and it’s a real shame was it was clearly once a lovely Tuscan style family home.

A house on my street was acquired by neighbours in a similar way. The wife had been cleaning for the elderly occupant. He died. Nothing happened. The house stayed empty.
She moved in from her house down the street. Eventually she established her claim on the house.
She sold her original house.
This is in London.

I've not RTWT but the abandoned house next to my mum was eventually auctioned by the local authority on the grounds that there were years of unpaid council tax .

Weird.

I think it’s now illegal to squat in a private residence. Have you asked the direct neighbours of the empty house for any information?

I don’t think I’m special or more entitled to it, I was just trying to figure out a way to not let it go to waste.

I’m going to try reporting it to the above organisation and continue doing the garden/outside maintenance etc. until something happens.

While I would love to just hand it over to the charity/a family I can see now that is unlikely and probably illegal.

It was a nice day dream while it lasted!

It isn’t right that it’s left to waste when there is definitely many families that could make use of it.

Colouring addict yes it is illegal to squat according to the Gov.uk site