Empty property case study

Wirral Council’s Empty Property Team provides assistance in dealing with a wide variety of residential empty properties throughout the borough. An excellent recent example of the work of the Empty Property team is the case of a semi-detached house located on Leasowe Road in Wallasey village.

Owned by two elderly sisters, the house had become something of a blight on the local neighbourhood over several years as they had been unable to maintain their house to an acceptable standard. The conditions the sisters had been living in were described as extremely poor.

The Council helped the sisters to find a new home that better met their requirements in the shape of a bungalow managed by a local housing association. The sisters then asked for the help of the Council’s Empty Property team to find a suitable buyer for their run-down property.

As the house was in a dangerous condition, and unsuitable for sale through an estate agent, the Empty Property team instead promoted the house to responsible private sector property developers throughout the borough.

As a result, 14 developers expressed an interest in the property and 12 made sealed bids to buy it. With the help of staff from Age Concern, the sisters accepted one of the offers. The person who submitted the successful bid then enlisted the services of Elmwood Property Services who fully refurbished the property which was then put up for sale.

The semi-detached property has been transformed from an eyesore and a millstone around the neck of its elderly owners to a fantastic family home.

If you are a responsible private sector developer and would like to be contacted regarding similar Empty Property redevelopment opportunities then please contact the Empty Property Team on 0151 691 8005.