Schemes and loans
Your property can easily go from vacant to occupied. We've got a wide range of schemes and loans to assist owners in bringing empty properties back into use.
We've got a wide range of schemes and loans to assist owners to bring empty properties back into use.
Apply for a scheme or loan
Complete the online form to apply for any of our empty property schemes or loans.
Apply for help bringing your empty property back into use
Empty property loan
We offer loans to help you repair and improve your property.
You may be eligible for up to £15,000 per property. The loans are interest-free for the first year.
Getting a loan from us means you can:
- Make your property more attractive to renters
- Improve the property so you can move in yourself
Repair and lease scheme
If your property needs significant refurbishment, you can lease your property to a housing association for 2-10 years.
The housing association will sub-lease your property to a tenant.
Taking advantage of this scheme means:
- The housing association repairs the property up to rental standards through a grant or interest-free loan
- You're guaranteed rent whether the property is occupied or not
- You do not pay council tax while the property is occupied
- Housing association repairs and management fees are taken out of the rent
- At the end of the lease period, the property is handed back to you, or you can opt to extend the agreement
Private sector lease scheme
If your property is not in need of improvements, you can lease the property to a housing association for 1-7 years.
The housing association will sub-lease your property to a tenant.
Taking advantage of this scheme means:
- The housing association is responsible for finding a tenant
- You're guaranteed rent whether the property is occupied or not
- You do not pay council tax while the property is occupied
- Housing association repairs and management fees are taken out of the rent
Management only service
A housing association will help you manage the rental of your property for a small flat-rate fee.
As the landlord, you're responsible for paying for any repairs and chasing any rent non-payments. If you’re worried about becoming a landlord, we offer support and advice to private rented landlords.
Taking advantage of this scheme means:
- The housing association is responsible for finding a tenant
- The housing association deals with all day-to-day issues the tenant has
- As the landlord, you remain in control of your property
- You do not have to pay council tax while the property is occupied
- Housing association management fees are taken out of the rent
Other support
There is more support available for landlords in the borough.