Retail Trade: Empty Property
2026-07-06 · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government · 16652 · Official question
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether compensation will be payable to owners where councils exercise powers to take over empty high street premises.
Answer
High street rental auctions empower councils to auction the lease of persistently vacant premises. Throughout the process the landlord retains ownership and will receive the rent generated through the tenancy, thus financially benefitting from secured occ...