[user104658]

Originally Posted by Kizzy

I think the issue is with buildings being purchased and not developed, this is common practice buildings and land are purchased to prevent competition moving in, this has to stop.

There should be rules against it tbh, with utilising land / buildings being a condition of sale and if nothing is done within a set number of years, the property is auctioned but with the funds given back to the owner (or held for them if they're not traceable). I would never advocate seizing outright tbh but there are so many buildings literally falling apart simply because the owners have no interest in them and sometimes can't even be traced.

I've personally lived near two such properties. My wife's uni house (massive 6 bedroom place) was next to a similar house... That was so neglected it had trees growing through the windows. It had been inherited by a multi-millionaire living in Spain when an elderly relative died and he just had absolutely no interest in it whatsoever. I doubt he would even have noticed / cared if someone sold it from under him.

Another one was on the corner of the little terraced street I lived on when we lived in Lancashire (think coronation Street... It looked identical). There was an abandonned house there that had been empty for 15+ years according to locals, and the council didn't even know who owned it. Totally untraceable. It'll presumably just sit there until it falls apart?

Surely there should be something in place to stop that. These properties are an eyesore and devalue all of the surrounding property, for one.