Homeowners in Pembrokeshire who leave properties empty for prolonged periods will be forced to sell to the council under new powers being proposed by Pembrokeshire County Council.
The council is preparing to approve a new Empty Properties Strategy for 2025–30 that would allow enforced sales of long-term empty homes where other measures have failed. The plans were backed at a scrutiny meeting in November and are due to go before Cabinet on January 12.
The council already applies a 300 per cent council tax premium to homes left empty for more than two years, and a 200% premium for second homes. But council papers show that the tax hike has not resolved a small number of persistent cases, prompting the shift towards more drastic action.
Antisocial behaviour, trespass, vandalism and arson.”
Long-term empty homes are described in the report as “a waste of a valuable resource which could be added to the pool of much-needed housing in the county”. Councillors were told such properties “frequently become blights to neighbourhoods”, attracting “antisocial behaviour, trespass, vandalism and arson”.
The report adds that empty homes can also become “drains on the resources of the county council, police, and fire and rescue services”, while neighbouring properties may be affected by visual decline, falling values and vermin infestation.
Authorities step in
Council officers highlight cases where buildings are allowed to deteriorate, but owners are “unwilling or unable to undertake the necessary work”, forcing the authorities to step in.
According to a report in the Western Telegraph, Pembrokeshire Council is stressing that enforced sales will not be used to pursue unpaid council tax premiums. Instead, it will be applied where public money has been spent to make properties safe, and owners have failed to repay those costs, or where properties remain empty and unmanaged.
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