Report empty homes and we'll revamp them - council

People are being urged to report empty houses so they can be brought back into use.

Hull City Council has launched the appeal as part of national Empty Homes Week.

Councillor Paul Drake-Davis, who leads on housing at the authority, said the city had "a high level of housing need".

But there were 4,767 private homes known to be empty, with 1,963 of them out of use for six months or more.

"Empty – usually dilapidated – properties deprive people of much-needed homes," Drake-Davis said.

"They also have a negative effect on neighbourhoods, making them look uncared for and can encourage anti-social behaviour and rodent infestations."

He said the council would do "everything within our power" to bring homes back into use and called on residents to help by offering their "local knowledge".

According to the council, an empty home can be reported on the authority's website. It will then be checked and boarded up, with rubbish cleared and any water leaks stopped.

The owner will be contacted to discuss the next steps, which could include a sale to a private landlord, an agreement allowing the council to rent it out, or acquisition by the council.

A spokesperson for the authority said it was "retrofitting" empty properties to be "more energy efficient and healthier".

One example of this work was in De Grey Street, where a row of flats and houses was being brought back into use by contractor Kingston Works Limited.

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