North Northamptonshire's Empty Homes Strategy

Overview

North Northamptonshire Council has drafted its first Empty Homes Strategy. The purpose of the strategy is to reduce the number of long-term empty properties across North Northamptonshire and to ensure such properties are brought back into use, to provide more accommodation.

Nationally there are about 700,000 long-term empty properties in the private sector, which represents about 1.6% of the total private sector stock. At any one time in North Northamptonshire, there are nearly 400 long-term empty properties that have been empty for longer than two years.

There is no formal requirement for local authorities to monitor and report on long-term empty properties anymore, neither is there any mandatory requirement to bring them back into use. North Northamptonshire Council has decided however it would be good practice to use the powers available to it, due to the wider benefits for the community. 

The Council periodically receives complaints and queries about empty properties. Officers visit these properties and when needed, take immediate action to remove risks. This includes the boarding up of all windows and doors to prevent entry by intruders and anti-social behaviour, harbourage clearance and baiting to prevent rodent infestation and any other work that may be necessary to remove or reduce a statutory nuisance.

Empty properties are wasted resources, become a blight on communities and, in extreme cases, result in arson attacks.

The benefits of bringing such properties back into use include the provision of improved quality and choice of housing accommodation for the residents of North Northamptonshire. Also, there should be more tax revenue and reduced expenditure by eliminating the need to board them up to keep them secure. Each empty property brought back into use will not only save hours of Council officers resource but also, potentially, Police and Fire Service Officers’ time and enable scarce resources to be targeted into other areas.

The Empty Homes Strategy outlines North Northamptonshire Council’s approach to identifying, managing and bringing long-term empty properties back into use.

Please can you take the time to read this draft strategy and answer the consultation questions posed. You can share your feedback using the survey link below.

Alternatively, you can respond via email or post:

Email: privatesectorhousing@northnorthants.gov.uk.

Post: North Northamptonshire Council, Private Sector Housing, Bowling Green Road, Kettering, NN15 7QX.

If you would like to discuss this further, please email privatesectorhousing@northnorthants.gov.uk.

This consultation closes at 23.59 on 1 March 2026

For information about how consultation and engagement responses are managed, please see the consultation and engagement privacy notice.