Property Owner Finder Service

Award outcome

Description

Dorset Council is seeking a supplier to provide owner tracing services, free of charge.\r \r There are currently 1300 homes which are long term empty (6 months or more) of which 335\r have been empty for 2 years or more (Council Tax data; October 2023).\r \r The Housing Standards Team currently has ongoing enforcement action relating to 93 long\r term empty properties, with four cases currently subject to compulsory purchase proceedings.\r \r It is common for the owners of abandoned properties to be absent and their whereabouts\r unknown or difficult to trace.\r \r Dorset Council is seeking a supplier to provide owner tracing services.\r \r As part of their business offering, a number of Professional Probate Research companies provide free absent owner tracing services to public authorities.\r \r The service provider then offers a discretionary, chargeable service to identified owners or\r next of kin on a no obligation basis. This chargeable service normally involves resolving\r issues with the estate, helping with probate and other similar matters. This chargeable service\r is not part of the Council's involvement.\r \r There is also the potential opportunity to undertake focussed investigations of certain empty\r property groups, including Class F exemption Council Tax cases.

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