Introducing the
Empty Homes Review
Datatank’s Empty Properties Review service confirms whether properties declared as empty are occupied or not. This is provided as a fully managed service which includes risk-based verification of occupancy, canvassing the liable council tax-payer (and/or property occupants) asking them to confirm occupancy or not, capturing all responses and making them available to the Council so you can update your systems.
Optionally, and at no additional expense, Datatank can update the Revenues system to cancel and rebill invalid discounts on behalf of the Council.
In the event that the current occupancy status cannot be accurately determined and no response is received from the liable council taxpayer/occupier, Datatank will provide the Council with a list of properties it recommends should be manually inspected by the Council.
We notify you of those homes which may require a property inspection where occupancy cannot be verified from data matching alone. This significantly cuts down the number of properties you need to inspect and allows you to focus your efforts on properties at risk.
How it works
Step 1
Data Upload
The Council’s empty property data is uploaded to Datatank via our secure data transfer portal. The Council is asked to include property owner email and telephone numbers, where they are known.
Step 2
Data Screening
Datatank will screen the Council’s data against credit bureau data and other commercially available data sets to determine if there are adults with an active financial footprint at the property address.
Step 3
Canvassing
The liable council tax payer/occupier is asked to respond online using Datatank’s Empty Homes Review e-Forms or complete and return an enclosed form.
Step 4
Unoccupied Result
Properties with little or no significant financial activity will be confirmed to be unoccupied.
Step 5
Occupied Result
Where the screening and risk-score analysis indicates there is an active credit/financial footprint at the property, Datatank will contact the liable council tax payer by post asking
them:
- if the property is empty?
- if the owner (and other adults) are in residence at the property?
