Response 4071435

Response to request for information

Reference

4071435

Response date

29 July 2026

Request

In accordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, I would be grateful if you could provide the following information: 

1. Use of External Property Tracing Services. Please confirm whether the Council currently engages, or has engaged within the last three years, any external organisation to assist in identifying, tracing, or locating the owners of privately owned residential properties that are empty, or suspected to be empty. If so, please provide:
   • The name of each organisation engaged.
   • The nature of the services provided; and
   • The dates during which those services were used.
2. Responsible Officers and Teams. Please provide the following details for the officer(s) and/or team responsible for the Council's work relating to privately owned residential empty homes:
   • Name:
   • Job title:
   • Email address:
   • Direct telephone number:

Where individual contact details are exempt from disclosure, please provide the relevant team contact details instead.

Response

1. Use of External Property Tracing Services. Please confirm whether the Council currently engages, or has engaged within the last three years, any external organisation to assist in identifying, tracing, or locating the owners of privately owned residential properties that are empty, or suspected to be empty. If so, please provide:
   • The name of each organisation engaged. Fraser & Fraser and Finders International.
   • The nature of the services provided; Search for absent empty homes owners and next of kin for public funerals
   • The dates during which those services were used. 2018 on-going
2. Responsible Officers and Teams. Please provide the following details for the officer(s) and/or team responsible for the Council's work relating to privately owned residential empty homes:
   • Name: Environmental Protection and Housing Team
   • Job title: Empty Homes Officer
   • Email address: emptyhomes@rushcliffe.gov.uk
   • Direct telephone number: 0115 9819911