Cyngor Gwynedd have announced a series of changes to the Empty Homes Grants Scheme in an effort to increase the numbers of empty homes being brought back to use across the county. The new maximum available through the scheme has increased from £20,000 to £25,000. The previous income threshold, which stood at £60,000 for every household, has now been set at £60,000 per individual or £80,000 a couple as a means of reflecting the recent general increase in wages.
The Council has also announced changes to the method of deciding which properties are eligible for the grant. The old method was based on the value of the property, where now Council Tax Bands are used to decide which houses are eligible. Any houses in bands A to D are now eligible for the grant. The grant is available to renovate homes that have been empty for 6 months or more, and empty dwellings that used to holiday homes. These are the homes where the owner is expected to pay the Council Tax Premium.
Since the launch of the scheme in 2021 the grant has helped bring 112 houses back into use and has helped promote local businesses by supporting on average 3.5 local contractors for every application. The programme is funded by money raised through the Council Tax Premium on Second Homes.
Cyngor Gwynedd Housing and Property Cabinet Member, Councillor Paul Rowlinson said:
“It saddens me to see houses standing empty and being wasted. We are facing a housing crisis locally and nationally. This grant scheme enables local people to give new life to vacant buildings, turning them into quality homes. The scheme has already proven its value, helping hundreds of residents throughout the county to bring empty houses back into use, and on top of that, to buy affordable houses within their communities.
“We recognise that the costs of renovating these houses have increased significantly over the last few years. That is why the Council has increased the grant from £20,000 to £25,000 in order to give more effective support to those renovating empty houses. We have also raised the salary threshold to allow more people to benefit from the scheme.”.
“I would encourage anyone who intends to buy an empty house or a property that used to be a second home to look at the Council’s website for more information or contact the Council’s Empty Homes team for a chat about these grants.”
To learn more about the Gwynedd Empty Homes Grant Scheme and other housing schemes, follow this link to the Cyngor Gwynedd website.
