Accurate Empty Homes Data
MORE ACCURATE EMPTY HOMES DATA
Here's some information about the reports which we have devised using 6PM Ltd and Council Tax Data.
Leicester City CT use the IBS system and we have always been able to get reports from them listing empty properties by date and/or by geographic area e.g. by ward or LRC (Leicester Regeneration Company) Area.
These lists only showed properties where the 'empty' field was populated. Start dates were shown but often the 'empty' field is not populated with the end date. By looking on the CT screen 'Display Council Tax Property (live)' under the Liability tag, you can scroll back through the dates to see if/when 0 adults appears in the relevant field.
6PM were briefed to to pick up zero adults and the empty date from this screen as well as the 'empty' field. In addition, because of the format, we can extract properties which are not liable for CT in 05/06(or any chosen year), as these will be conversions, demolitions or the owner has applied to the Valuations Office to remove them from CT listings.
We also extract properties with an end date in the part of the current year prior to when the report is run.Empty After Run Date comes from a future empty date, in the current year, which has not been reached by the time the report is run.
From our own spreadsheets and data we insert our active caseload of empty properties.
So the Excel Report has 6 sheets:
1. Master List - from 6PM
2. EHT Status - our own active caseload inserted
3. Non 05/06 - not liable for CT in the given year
4. 06/07 & End Date - properties which have end date in current year i.e. will no longer be liable for CT this year
5. Empty After Run Date - will not become empty until after we have run the report
6. Empty Properties - after all extractions
A Pivot table is then created using these sheets and it shows all new properties which we have never worked on, by the year when they became empty.
The automatic filter or sort is used for most of the extractions and the pivot table is also a feature of Excel so most of this is automatic.
The painstaking work took place with 6PM at the beginning when comparisons were made with CT reports and the 6PM brief. By comparison, and info which we held on property files we were able to ask 6PM to make changes and resolve anomalies. When we run the end of year 6PM report we will ask CT to run a report at the same time. It's the last time we expect to have to make comparisons as we're confident that the 6PM report is now robust.
The net effect for us is that we only work on properties which are truly empty with the occasional CT error causing us to record misinformation. One bedroom flats and those in commercial premises without separate access are regarded as non-priority in Leicester, but we keep records in case they are needed in the future. Second homes are also identified automatically. Since 6PM reports have been available we have found empty properties, dating back as far as 1993, of which we had not been aware.
A by-product of the work carried out on this project by the Empty Homes Team is channelling up-to-date information to Council tax to update their records, and enabling the collection of some Council Tax arrears.
Dot
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Dot Barnard - Empty & Decent Homes Team Leader
111 Ross Walk
Belgrave
Leicester, LE4 5HH
Tel: 0116 299 5386
Fax: 0116 299 5398
Email:
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