Mid Wales residents are being urged to report empty homes to help the housing crisis.

Powys County Council is calling on residents to report long-term empty properties with the aim of bringing them back into use.

The council especially wants to know about any properties that are causing damage or damp to neighbouring properties.

It comes as the council identified 1,550 properties in the county as being left empty for longer than 12 months.

Matthew Dorrance, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for a Fairer Powys, said: “Empty homes are a missed opportunity when so many people are in need of safe, secure housing.

“By reporting empty properties, residents can help us take action to bring these homes back into use and strengthen our communities

“Together, we can build a stronger, fairer, greener future for our communities.”

In 2021, 6,685 properties were identified as empty according to census data, representing 10 per cent of the county’s dwellings - a rise from 8.1 per cent in 2011.

The Empty Property Referral Form was launched in April 2024 and has led to ‘dozens’ of investigations into unused homes, states the council.

Thanks to the form, twelve empty properties have been successfully brought back into use between April and July this year, with more ready in the coming months.

The call is part of a wider strategy to ‘reduce housing shortages, improve neighbourhoods, and ensure properties make a positive contribution to communities and services’.

Of the 1,550 identified as empty, 880 of these are subject to premium long-term empty charges.

Powys County Council charged owners of long-term empty properties 100 per cent council tax for 2023/24, up from 50 per cent in 2017/18.

Residents can report empty properties by visiting www.powys.gov.uk and searching Report an Empty Property.