Recommendation 63

We heard that the issue of vacant properties and “neglectful” landlords could negatively impact the look and feel of a high street and could be a particular issue in disadvantaged areas. 124 Professor Tomaney told us that the issue of vacant properties was related to absentee landlords and an inability to identify who owns specific property, so “even if you want to bring a derelict building back into use, there is a major effort involved in identifying who owns the property”. 125 Historic England identified the role of building owners as the “key obstacle preventing more effective use of property on the high street”, saying that owners too often did not have a direct interest in the success of the wider area and were not incentivised to use properties more effectively. 126 We also heard that some landlords may choose to keep properties empty if reducing the rent would impact the capital value of their portfolio. 127 In Chapter 4 we consider some of the policy proposals to resolve the challenges presented by absent landlords.