This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Freedom of Information request 'List of long term empty privately owned property'.

ICO and Tribunal decisions 
‘Empty Property Address Data’

S31(1)(a)
 
 
Private Properties 
Details of empty private properties are exempt from  
disclosure. This decision is based on previous Commissioner and Tribunal decisions, 
the most notable of which are the L B of Bexley decisions EA2006-0060&0066. 
  
Subsequent to these decisions, and following a number of similar decisions, the 
specific point of the address of empty private properties was decided upon in case 
FS50259951. 
 
Council Properties  
Empty Council properties ready for Tenants (both residential and commercial) are 
already published on the Council's website and through local estate agents. This 
information is therefore also exempt under section 21 of the FOI Act. 
 
Details of longer term empty Council properties [say 6 months plus] are likely to be 
exempt, though there is yet to be a tribunal decision specifically on this point.  Such 
properties come into a number of categories including difficult to let, in need of major 
refurbishment including internal and/or structural and being prepared for or in the 
process of disposal. 
 
Rationale 
In the Bexley case the applicant had requested a list of empty houses compiled by the 
council; these were both for empty Council properties and private properties. The 
Tribunal established that providing such a list was likely to increase the risk of crime 
against those properties and so s31(1)(a) was engaged. 
In considering the public interest in maintaining the exemption the Tribunal heard 
evidence about the effects that crime had on private individuals. It found that “…in 
relation to properties that are not owned by individuals but rather by the public 
sector…,whilst the issues concerning the damage to property are relevant and the 
impact on the area, the impact on the individuals as owners, is not a factor that will be 
in play. This in our view [ICO] has the effect of lessening the public interest in 
maintaining the exemption… .” (para 79) [NBC note – the status of the empty property 
will impact on the exemption weighting] 
The Tribunal went on to say that in relation to properties owned by individuals, “The 
impact of crime on individuals as an inherent part of the public interest in this 
circumstance is a significant factor and leads to the exemption outweighing the public 
interest in disclosure in our view. “ 
Although it is clear that the Tribunal placed greater weight on the public interest in 
protecting individuals from the impact of crime, this certainly does not mean there is 
little public interest in protecting public authorities or corporate bodies against crime. 
It’s merely that there is a heightened public interest in protecting individuals. 
NBC line to take 
The addresses of properties owned by individuals are personal data about those 
individuals and must not be disclosed.  Details of empty Council properties would 
usually be disclosed or is already published. However ‘long term empty’ needs more 
careful consideration as such properties are more susceptible to criminal activity 
FOI Practice Note  -  Empty properties    
including vandalism, asset stripping and squatting. Without a decision to base advice 
on the current stance is to withhold under section 31(1)(a). 
Information Governance - Northampton 838536 / 837409 
Releasing public information – Safeguarding personal information 

ICO and Tribunal decisions 
‘Empty Property Address Data’

S31(1)(a)
 
 
 
 
 
Further Information from ICO Knowledge Base
 
ICO guidance - ‘Data Protection Technical Guidance – Determining what is 
personal data’  
Having heard evidence on the subject, the Tribunal was satisfied that “…knowing 
the address of a property makes it likely that the identity of the owner will be 
found.” (para 94) 
The Commissioner had relied on the analysis of the Durant judgement to argue 
that although it may be possible to identity the owner, this did not make the 
address personal data. The reasons being two fold, (i) the focus of the information 
was the property not the owner and (ii) “even if it was possible to connect an 
individual to a particular empty property, this would not affect the privacy of the 
individual… .”  (para 95). 
The Commissioner would not now stand by this position and has published new 
guidance on what constitutes personal data, which provides a wider interpretation 
of personal data than was originally adopted following the Durant judgement. 
Obviously the council could identify the owners from the Council Tax register and 
the Tribunal went onto conclude that, “The address alone, in our view, also 
amounts to personal data because the likelihood of identification of the owner…. In 
our view this information amounts to personal data because it says various things 
about the owner. It says that they are the owner of the property and therefore have 
a substantial asset. …The key point is that it says something about somebody’s 
private life and is biographically significant.” The Tribunal went on to say that the 
important question was “…what meaning or meanings the data may have in the 
context of someone’s private life. Does the fact that Mr X owns a property 
potentially worth several thousand of pounds say something about Mr X? In our 
view it does, and the owner is the focus of that information.” (para 98) 
Following this rationale it can be argued that addresses of all properties owned by 
individuals will be personal data, not just empty ones. However it should be noted 
that in some situations eg where an individual is the landlord of a rented house, the 
address of that property is likely to be both personal data of the landlord and the 
tenant. 
The Tribunal’s decision was that the addresses of empty properties not owned by 
individuals should be released together with the names of those owners. 
 
 
 

 
FOI Practice Note  -  Empty properties    
Information Governance - Northampton 838536 / 837409 
Releasing public information – Safeguarding personal information