I am a home owner
My house is scheduled for clearance, what happens now?
We will contact the owner at an appropriate time with a view to buying the property. It is important to view the phasing plan for each renewal area, as this will give you an indication of the timing of activity in your neighbourhood.
Consultation is ongoing in all Housing Market Renewal areas and you will be involved and kept up to date through various means, including: events, letters, newsletters, etc. Attending events in your area will keep you up to date on things that affect you. For further details contact your Neighbourhood Management service on 0151-233-3018.
How much will the council pay for my property?
Each property will be valued at a fair market price known as the "open market value". Values vary between areas and house types, so it is impossible to say how much each individual house will be valued at. If you want to get your own valuation, you may do so as part of the negotiation process. Should we buy your home, we will pay your valuation fees to a reasonable level.
Will I be compensated in any way?
All households will be entitled to a disturbance payment designed to reimburse the cost of moving home. Each case will be dealt with on its own merits, but typically the cost of removals, legal fees, stamp duty, surveyors fees, adaptations, certain soft furnishings, fixtures and fittings, disconnections and reconnections of services, forwarding of post and incidental costs of acquiring a replacement property are eligible items that may be claimed for.
If you have lived in your property for 12 months as your main home when we buy it, you will receive a further payment of 10% of the open market value of your property. This is called a "Home Loss Payment": the current minimum payment is £4,400 and maximum is £44,000.
What advice is available to help me make the right decisions?
If you wish to remain a home owner and purchase a replacement property, the Home Ownership Advisory Officers will be able to help you. One of the team will call to see you at an appropriate time to discuss your re-housing requirements and assist you to find the right financial package to fit your needs. If required, an independent financial advisor can offer you free advice to ensure the financial decisions you make are within your ability to manage.
Registered Social Landlords (RSL's) may be able to assist you to purchase a shared ownership property and the Home Ownership Advisory Officers will be able to provide details.
This can also apply to sheltered housing accommodation if you are elderly.
What is a Homeswap Property?
We purchase properties in some of the sustainable areas and complete full modern refurbishments to a high standard. These properties are then available for sale to re-house and relocate residents affected by clearance and are ideal for first time buyers.
For further information on this scheme, please contact Alex Sorngaard on 0151-233-8255.
What if I don't want to sell, will you use Compulsory Purchase Orders?
If your property lies within an area that has been identified for demolition then in the first instance we will seek to purchase your property in agreement with yourself by negotiating a price. If, however, you still do not wish to sell then the Council may exercise its Compulsory Purchase Powers in order to purchase the property so that we can assemble the sites to enable the regeneration of the area to take place.
We will only begin a Compulsory Purchase Order as a last resort. Every effort will be made to negotiate with all owners and acquire properties by agreement first. Even if a CPO is made, we can still and will negotiate with you.
The market value of your property is unaffected by whether there is a CPO in place, our offer to buy houses is the same as it would be under a CPO, which means that you will be eligible to receive the same compensation package. There is no financial advantage in waiting for a CPO.
Click here for further details on the CPO process.
What if I want to object to the CPO?
Should we make a CPO then you have the right to formally object. Ultimately, a Government appointed inspector will consider your objection at an Inquiry unless your objection is based solely on the purchase price for your home.
If we intend to include your property within a CPO, we will always make every effort to consult and engage with you before this happens. There are a number of stages in the CPO process and you will be contacted in writing in advance of us making the CPO.
We make the CPO by seeking a resolution from our Executive Board and then submitting it to the Government for confirmation. At this stage we will serve a written notice on everyone who has an interest in the land or property to be acquired and notices will be placed in the press. The notices will set out how to make an objection.
If the objections are received, the government minister may decide to hold a public local inquiry to hear all the relevant information and decide whether to approve the order.
Sheltered Housing Accommodation
Further details on the CPO Process