Information Team Croydon
Digital Services
Assistant Chief Executive Directorate
Bernard Wetherill House
7th Floor, Zone B
Croydon
CR0 1EA

Contact: Information Team
[Croydon Borough Council request email]

NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email. If
you have a processing request, please ensure you quote that reference in
your emails to us.

DEAR John Templeton

Freedom of information request - FOI/7750

Subject: Empty residential property grants and loans

Your request is being considered and you will receive a response within
the statutory timescale of 20 working days, subject to the application of
any exemptions. Where consideration is being given to exemptions the 20
working day timescale may be extended to a period considered reasonable
depending on the nature and circumstances of your request. In such cases
you will be notified and, where possible, a revised time-scale will be
indicated. In all cases we shall attempt to deal with your request at the
earliest opportunity.

If we are unable to provide you with the information requested we will
notify you of this together with the reason(s) why, and details of how you
may appeal.

Please note that the directorate team may contact you for further
information where we believe that the request is not significantly clear
for us to respond fully. 

Kind Regard

Information Management Team

Croydon Digital Services

Assistant Chief Executive Directorate

7th Floor, Zone B

Bernard Weatherill House

8 Mint Walk

Croydon CR0 1EA

Information Team Croydon
Digital Services
Assistant Chief Executive Directorate
Bernard Wetherill House
7th Floor, Zone B
Croydon
CR0 1EA

Contact: Information Team
[Croydon Borough Council request email]

Dear John Templeton

Request FOI/7750

Freedom of Information Request

Your request has been considered under the provisions of the Freedom of
Information Act. Specifically, you have requested the following
information:

1. Grants: information held by the Council about non-repayable grants
relating to property renovations. This information should include the name
of the grant, the eligibility criteria, and the amount of funding
available.

We can confirm that we currently have limited funding for both the Empty
Property Grant scheme and the Empty Property Loan scheme although this is
under regular review. Funds are very limited so a telephone call or email
to an empty property officer is advised. 

The criteria for Empty Property Grants is –

• The property must be genuinely empty for six months or more
• The grant is only available to the registered owner of the property
• The owner cannot have any debts to the council
• The maximum grant available is £25,000
• The Grant cannot be used for works already completed
• The grant is paid as a reimbursement of 100% of the ‘reasonable cost’
of ‘eligible works’ to bring the property up to Decent Homes Standard.
We consider ‘builders finish only’ so internal decoration, floor
coverings, etc. are not included.
• The grant is available for family accommodation only (i.e. two
bedrooms or more)
• The works must be supported by full certification (e.g. Gas Safe,
Electrical, Fensa, Building Control, EPC, etc.)
• The completed property must be made available to tenants nominated by
Croydon Council for a period of five years.
• The grant is secured by a ‘Local Land Charge’ on the property.

Property Tenancy requirement (EPGs only)

If an Empty Property grant is used to refurbish a property then the
property must be occupied by a tenant nominated by Croydon Council for a
minimum period of five years. As the renovation/refurbishment works near
completion an owner may wish to discuss their options with Croydon
Council’s Housing Initiatives Team on 020 8726 6100 ext 61870. If you have
different management requirements you may use one of our approved
providers.

The link here will take you straight to the Council’s Empty Property
Webpage that contains additional useful information on the Empty Property
Grant scheme.

[1]https://www.croydon.gov.uk/housing/priva...

You may wish to read the documents entitled “Empty Property Grant covering
letter May 2019” and “Empty Property Grant guidance note GN.H175 (2019)”
as these provide additional useful information.

The council also has an Empty Property Loan scheme that can be used to
assist with the renovation/refurbishment of qualifying empty properties

2. Loans: information held by the Council relating to the availability of
property renovation loans that are interest-free or not repayable until
the renovated property is sold. This information should include the name
of the loan, the eligibility criteria, the terms of repayment, and the
amount of funding available.

The criteria for Empty Property Loan is –

• The property must be genuinely empty for six months or more
• The loan is only available to the registered owner property
• The owner cannot have any debts to the council
• The maximum loan available is £40,000
• The loan cannot be used for works already completed
• There must be sufficient equity in the ‘finished’ property to support
an existing mortgage and the Empty Property Loan.
• The loan is paid in three payments (25%, 50% and 25%) supported by
contractor invoices as the project progresses.
• The loan can cover up to 100% of the ‘reasonable cost’ of ‘eligible
works’ to bring the property up to Decent Homes Standard. We consider
‘builders finish only’ so internal decoration, floor coverings, etc.
are not included.
• The loan is available for family accommodation only (i.e. two bedrooms
or more)
• The works must be supported by full certification (e.g. Gas Safe,
Electrical, Fensa, Building Control, EPC, etc.)
• The loan must be fully repaid within two years of the first amount
being drawn down.
• Simple Interest is payable at 1% over the prevailing Bank of England
Base Rate and is payable on redemption.
• No monthly payment is required.
• There is no requirement for the property to be made available to
tenants nominated by Croydon Council.
• Owner occupation is acceptable.
• The loan is secured by a ‘Full Legal Charge’ on the property.

There is no tenancy requirement for properties that are refurbished using
an Empty Property Loan.

Please also see the link below for further information -

[2]https://www.croydon.gov.uk/housing/home-...

3. Schemes for purchasing residential properties: information held by the
Council about any schemes it operates to purchase residential properties
in the Borough. This information should include the name of the scheme and
the eligibility criteria.

The Council currently does not operate any scheme for purchasing
residential properties in the Borough.

4. Information held by the Council consisting of, or relating to, a list
of developers willing to purchase empty residential properties.

The Empty Property Officers know of a number of investors/developers that
are interested in purchasing empty properties across the borough. A list
can be requested by verified genuine owners of long-term empty properties
who have decided to sell their properties. The list contains personal
information and is held in confidence. Company names and individual names
of developers and investors will be matched to a specific property type or
location before names are released to vendors who are actively marketing
their property.

For the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act, the Council considers
this information to be personal data and would lead to the identification
of individuals, withholding of personal data as defined by the General
Data Protection Regulations 2018, falls within the exemption in Section 40
(2) (a) (i) (Personal Information) of the Freedom of Information Act
2000.  This aspect of your request is therefore exempt from disclosure by
virtue of Section 40 (2) (a) (i) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

It is important to remember that when information is released under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000, it is considered released to the wider
public. Any such disclosure of personal information would not be compliant
with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulations 2018.

Furthermore, the council is therefore of the view that it could be subject
to an actionable breach of confidence if it were to disclose information
relating to individuals to third parties without their authorisation. The
Council would look to claim an exemption for this under Section 41
(Information Provided in Confidence) of the Freedom of Information Act
2000.

The Council publishes Access to Information requests and responses on its
online Disclosure Log. (Any request included within this log will be
anonymised appropriately)

To view the Council’s Disclosure Log, please visit our website available
here:

[3]The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act | Croydon Council
(disclosure-log.co.uk)

If you are dissatisfied with the way the Council has handled your request
under the Freedom of Information Act you may ask for an internal review. 
This should be submitted to us within 40 working days of this response. 
You can do this by outlining the details of your complaint by:

Email:        [Croydon Borough Council request email]

Writing:     Information Team

London Borough of Croydon

Bernard Weatherill House

7^th Floor - Zone B

8 Mint Walk

Croydon CR0 1EA

Any requests received after the 40 working day time limit will be
considered only at the discretion of the council.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire   SK9 5AF

Yours sincerely 

Croydon Council

References

Visible links
1. https://www.croydon.gov.uk/housing/priva...
2. https://www.croydon.gov.uk/housing/home-...
3. https://croydon.disclosure-log.co.uk/