An abandoned property is where a tenant(s) has left their property without officially ending their tenancy. Often the Housing Department are not aware the property is now empty.
When a tenancy is taken up with Cannock Chase Council, it is a condition of the tenancy that the property is the tenant's only or principal home. Empty properties not only cost the Council but can also affect the whole estate.
How does an abandoned property affect you?
- Abandoned properties can make an estate unattractive for remaining tenants
- Abandoned properties can make an estate look run down and unappealing to potential tenants
- The Council loses out on rent, which means less money for other services
- There are people waiting to move into Council properties, you may know a person waiting
What should you do?
To help us investigate abandoned properties, we need to know the address of the property. Please contact the Neighbourhoods Team on 01543 462621 or email EMTeam@cannockchasedc.gov.uk with the address of the property, your name and contact telephone number if you suspect a property has been abandoned and the tenant has no intention of returning.
What can the Council do?
When we receive a report of an abandoned property, we must investigate it and follow our Abandoned Property Procedure. Each tenant has rights, which means we cannot just end a tenancy. The Neighbourhoods Team will raise an emergency repair to secure, as necessary, any suspected abandoned property. Appropriate enquiries will be made to establish if the tenant(s) intends to return to the property.
However, if after an investigation the tenant cannot be located a Notice of Seeking Possession and or a Notice to Quit shall be served and the property repossessed. This will take four weeks to expire. The Council might be able to recover possession of the property when notice expires; if it is proven that the tenant does not intend to return to the property.
If the tenant has not returned or contacted the Neighbourhoods Team within the notice time, we will end the tenancy. The property will then be repaired and advertised on the Cannockchasehousing website.
Last Updated: 02/08/2023