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Planned System Maintenance - Limited Service

Sunderland City Council will be carrying out planned system maintenance from 12 noon on Friday 5th June until 7am on Tuesday 9th June. During this period, we will only be able to respond to urgent enquiries. If your enquiry is not urgent, please contact us before or after these times when full services will be available. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your understanding.

Empty homes

We want our neighbourhoods to be safe and attractive places for everyone to live. Throughout Sunderland, there are a number of empty homes which have a negative impact on local communities, as they can attract anti-social behaviour, vandalism and fly-tipping. We are committed to helping owners return their empty properties back into use to provide much needed housing, and to increase confidence within those local communities.

We understand that having an empty property in your community can be frustrating, but it's important to know that owning an empty home is not illegal. Local authorities have limited powers and resources, so we focus our efforts on properties that cause problems, such as those attracting anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping, or becoming unsafe. A range of council teams work together to address these issues, and our Empty Homes Team coordinates this response to achieve the best possible outcomes. While we cannot act on every empty property, we prioritise those that have the greatest impact on the local community.

You can find out how the council aims to tackle the issue of empty homes in our Empty Homes Strategy 2020-2025. 

How we can help you if you own an empty home

If you own a home which is currently empty, there is a range of support available to you:

VAT Reduction

If you are bringing a residential home that has been empty for two years or more back into use and are using VAT registered contractors, you may qualify for a reduced rate of VAT (currently 5%) on eligible renovation work.

Sunderland City Council can provide a letter to support VAT reduction for renovation and refurbishment works, providing we can confirm the home has been empty for the qualifying period of two years or more.

Further information and eligibility for this concession can be found by visiting Buildings and construction (VAT Notice 708) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) or by telephoning HM Revenue & Customs National Advice Service on 0845 010 9000.


Keeping your empty home safe and secure

While occupation is always the best form of security, there are some simple steps you can take to keep your empty home safe and secure:

  • check the property frequently
  • regularly maintain gardens and exterior space
  • hang curtains or blinds so it looks occupied
  • set timers for the Internal lights
  • install motion-sensor security lights and house alarms
  • set the heating to a very low temperature during the winter will prevent burst pipes
  • repair any damage or vandalism
  • leave your contact details with neighbours

Contact us

If you'd like to contact the team for advice or support in managing a domestic empty property that you own, please complete the 'Report an issue withn empty property' form below. Please supply the information requested and indicate that you own the property. You cannot submit this form anonymously.

You can also use the form below to report an issue that is affecting you which is caused by a domestic empty property. Please make sure you provide contact details so we can contact you to advise what action is possible.

The form can be used to report the following issues about a domestic empty property:

Report problematic domestic empty property

Report a problematic domestic empty property, for example an empty dwelling attracting anti-social behaviour (ASB), or an owner requesting assistance relating to the problem.

Other issues, such as waste or fly tipped waste into the grounds of a domestic empty property, should be reported using the Report issues from another property form.

To report empty properties that may be an eyesore, please email [email protected]


Report an empty property that is open to access

Report a domestic empty property that has an opening in its structure, such as a ground floor window or door that is open/damaged,and make the property easily accessible. This does not include gardens or yards that may have a gate that is open/damaged or missing.


Rats or other vermin

Report suspected issues of vermin associated with a domestic empty property.

Report an issue with an empty home


Further support for empty homes

Landlord Accreditation Scheme

If you are thinking of renting out your empty home you may wish to consider signing up to be a member of our free Landlord Accreditation Scheme.