Work is required on my empty home

Empty Homes Wales logo United Welsh

If you have an empty home but work is required to make it habitable again, we may be able to fund and undertake the works on your property through a leasing scheme as part of our Empty Homes Wales project.

There are no agency or sign up fees, and no hassle for you.

We will meet you at the property with our surveyor to carry out an inspection, then our surveyor will draft a schedule of works containing estimated costs to make the property habitable and ready to let.

We can arrange to obtain competitive quotations from approved contractors and the works are normally awarded to the contractor who provides the lowest quotation.

Our surveyor will then oversee the refurbishment works from start to finish.

How does the leasing scheme work?

We will lease the property from you and manage the tenancy including repairs and maintenance.

The rental income received during the term of the lease will be used to cover the cost of the work.

Once the work cost has been received, we can continue to rent the property on your behalf if you wish. In this case, we will give you the rental income minus our management fee.

It’s simple. No initial outlay. No upfront fees. No tenancy management issues. You’ll get complete peace of mind from a reputable and leading Housing Association.

Tenancy Management Package

Once your property is ready to be let we will manage the whole process including:

  • Marketing the property
  • Carrying out accompanied viewings with prospective tenants
  • Tenancy reference checks
  • A Money Advisor visit to check the prospective tenant can afford the rent prior to being offered the accommodation.

Once a tenant is allocated we will:

  • Take an inventory and photograph the property prior to letting
  • Sign up the tenant to an Assured Short Hold tenancy
  • Arrange a welcome visit within six weeks to ensure tenants have moved in without any issue
  • Ensure utility companies and the council are notified of new occupier details and meter readings.

During the tenancy we will:

  • Collect the rent offering tenants several ways to pay, including direct debit, standing order, payment cards, debt or credit card payments. If housing benefit is being received we can also arrange for this to be paid directly to us.
  • Apply our rent arrears process if rent is not paid
  • Serve any legal notices and attend court where necessary
  • Inspect the property every six months
  • Deal with all tenancy issues including any antisocial behaviour.

Maintenance during the term of the lease:

  • All day to day repairs will be carried out by an approved contractor and the costs added to the homeowner’s account
  • If any major repairs are required to the property during the term of the lease, the Leasehold Housing Officer will contact the homeowner to discuss before work is undertaken
  • Tenants will have access to a 24 hour property maintenance emergency call out service
  • Annual gas servicing is arranged and carried out via Empty Homes Wales

The length of the lease will be determined by the works costs.

For example…

If the works cost £25K and the rent is £103.56 per week for a 3-bed house in Caerphilly, you would need to lease your property for 7 years and 2 months. This term takes into account the 10% management fee payable from the monthly rent.

How to apply

In the first instance, please complete the enquiry form on our Help with empty homes page.

To complete your full application, you will need:

  • ID that shows your photograph i.e. passport, driving license card
  • Land Registry office copies
  • A letter from the mortgage lender, if applicable, providing their agreement to the registration of the lease
  • Your Buildings Insurance Policy document which should make reference to United Welsh being an interested party and it being on a buy-to-let basis
  • Utility company providers details