Local authorities can now take over and manage properties that are left empty, writes David Lawrenson .

If you look at any area you will see lots of empty properties.

Long abandoned properties are bad for communities because they attract vandalism, graffiti and drug taking as well as being a terrible waste of the housing stock.

And the statistics say that where there is an empty property nearby it can reduce the prices of a nearby house by up to 18%. In the worst cases, whole streets can become blighted with huge falls in property values.

Today, in England, there are thought to be about a quarter of a million houses that have been unoccupied for 6 months or more.