A NUMBER of Council owned homes will go under the hammer at an upcoming auction in a bid to fill the empty properties.

The Council says it obtained the six homes, which are in varying states of repair, either through compulsory purchase orders, by agreement with the owners, or seized from people who have refused to pay Council Tax.

The properties, from across the District, are included in an upcoming Yorkshire auction of Pugh Property, which will take place at Leeds United’s grounds on September 5.

The Council says auctioning properties it has purchased is one of the ways it can fill empty homes.

Properties include:

5 Priestley Street, Thornton, which will have a guide price of £30,000

1-3 Priestley Street, Thornton, which will have a guide price of £70,000

274 Haworth Road, Chellow Heights, with a guide price of £90,000

140 Walden Drive, Daisy Hill, which has a guide price of £45,000

7 Park Road, Shipley, which has a guide price of £110,000

and 50 Daisy Street, Great Horton, which has a guide price of £25,000.

Property and land sale raises over £200k for Council - with one site selling for more than double its guide price

A Bradford Council spokesperson said: “The majority of the properties listed here are a result of action taken by the our Empty Homes Team, while two of them are due us taking possession for persistent non-payment of Council Tax.

“Our Empty Homes team won a national award recently for demonstrating that the council is proactive in turning empty properties into lived in homes. The team works with owners of empty homes to find ways they can bring them back into use. This can often result in the Council purchasing an empty property in agreement with the owners. However, in some cases, as a last resort, where owners are unwilling or unable to bring the most problematic long term empty properties back into use, the Council will consider the use of a compulsory purchase order.

“Where the Council acquires a property, how it is disposed depends on its circumstances, for example its location, the type of accommodation, condition. Sometimes the Council disposes of properties to its partners, including charities, registered social landlords, etc, again, dependent upon the circumstances.

“One method of disposal is via auction which is the case with those currently appearing on Pugh’s site. This is often the best way for the Council to achieve a fair market value. Not all properties listed are those acquired by the Empty Homes Team – some will be a result of action by other services.

“In all types of disposal, the market value of the property is sought.”