§ Mr. McCrindleasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will undertake a study among private landlords to ascertain the reasons for their properties remaining unoccupied for long periods; and if he will introduce legislation to provide that such properties are rated as occupied after a given period of unoccupancy.
§ Sir George Young[pursuant to his answer, 20 January 1984, c. 358]: A survey of vacant property was carried out in 1977 by the office of Population Censuses and Surveys. The survey examined, among other things, the reasons for vacancy among formerly privately rented property. A copy of the survey report "Empty Housing in England" is available in the Library.
Under section 17 of the General Rate Act 1967, rating authorities may resolve to levy rates on domestic property which has been empty for more than three months (or six months in the case of new property). An unoccupied property does not attract domestic rate relief, and the rating authority may fix the rate for such properties at any level up to 100 per cent. of the full rate.