The Risks of leaving a house on market unoccupied?

Pumpkin7

I am looking for some help with a quandary our family is in.

Our house is on the market and today our buyer pulled out which we are very disappointed about, and we can no longer proceed with the house we had an offer on.

As time is not in our side, our back-up plan if this happened was to move in with my father as he lives in the area we are looking to buy in and I need to get a place for my daughter to start reception class at school so need to apply ASAP with a local address.

However we are concerned about a few things- can anyone help?

Our main concern is that my partner’s friend said that if a council knows a house has been occupied for 6 months they can legally give it to someone who needs social housing. Can this be correct that if we don't sell up within that time the council can just give our house away?!

Also our home insurers (direct line) said they will only keep insurance valid if we turn all the supplies off. But surely these need to keep running for house viewings, to stop damp etc?

Also what happens if squatters break in- do they get squatters rights?

Are there any other issues too anyone has experienced?

Any help is much appreciated as we are really wanting to get out of the area but our worried about repercussions.... I hope I don't sound a bit over the top but just dont want to land ourselves in a big mess....

RAS

How far away will you be living?

Pumpkin7

Hi it will not be too far, about a 25 minute drive away

RAS

Ok

Then check how long your insurance allows you to oleave the house unoccupied (often 28 days) and you just have to stay over one night to make sure it remains "occupied" for insurance and council purposes.

SAga were great about my miother's house - it took alsmost exactly two years to sort out what happened to ehr, the EPA, planning and the sales - and they covered the hosue for the dureation. In practice I went down every few weeks to check it out anyway. You will need to keep the outside neat anyway.

Buy several different sorts of timers and set up energy using lamps to come on and off at intervals. Some were 7 day, so the pattern was different each day as far as outsiders were concerned. Every time I stopped over I changed several of the lamps. The heating was set to frost levels.

Pumpkin7

Thank you. So really its best to not inform coucil or home insurers and keep things above board by returning just once a month? Seems most simple solution...

Has anyone else left a house unoccupied whilst on market?

Also is it possible to rent a house out whilst it being on the market by an chance? It would cover the insurance/ council tax issues and give us a little extra income.

But it also has majot issues- can you get short notice contracts? Can the tenant refuse viewing ect? Will it pose problems for potential buyer?

Thanks in advance

lizzielondon

Pumpkin7 wrote: »

Our main concern is that my partner’s friend said that if a council knows a house has been occupied for 6 months they can legally give it to someone who needs social housing. Can this be correct that if we don't sell up within that time the council can just give our house away?!

RAS wrote: »

Then check how long your insurance allows you to oleave the house unoccupied (often 28 days) and you just have to stay over one night to make sure it remains "occupied" for insurance and council purposes.

is this actually true? it can't be that's bonkers!

delain

No the council can't just take your house.

If they could they wouldn't have a 12 year waiting list.

Pumpkin7

Im not allowed to post links, but if you google "Town hall threat to seize empty homes: campaign to force owners to sell or rent out" there is a Daily Mail article. Granted The article is over a year old... but I really want to find out the exact legal stance of this if anyone has any info I would be very interested to know. I hope its not true and the usual media hype!

googler

From The Times 2007

"There are now enforcement powers, which the council can take in these circumstances such as serving a compulsory purchase order.

This allows the council to serve an Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) which enables it to gain ownership of a property if an owner repeatedly refuses all attempts to bring it back into use."

The article was specifically about Harrow Council, not sure if the EDMO can apply to other councils - but this wouldn't seem to give them carte blanche after 6 mths - only if you'd repeatedly ignored the council.

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/emptydwellingmanagement says EDMOs do not apply to properties in the process of being sold or let....

Pumpkin7

I googled "Empty Dwelling Management Orders" fron the article and the leaflet available to download said it does not apply to houses on the market, or if it has been lived in at any time past 6 months. Phew! Usual scare-mongering media...

So Delain you are right! Thank goodness

Pumpkin7

Oh seems we psoted at same time! Thank you googler

I assume a squatter would also have no rights over a property on a market then?