Southend - neighbours want EDMO to tackle nuisance property

This week's story, Homes Devalued Claim by Blot on Road from Southend, is a good reminder that local people - and newspapers - see EDMOs as a way to tackle empty homes. It would be good if the government could set asiide its ideological issues with EDMOs and see them for what they are: a reasonable and proportionate response to a difficult problem. Part of the issue here seems to be a lack of progress with probate after the previous owner died. This makes the property ineligible for an EDMO. In fact Council's do have ways of forcing the issue on probate, but they are not widely understood. We asked Ashfords lawyer Michael Alden whether he thought there was anything the Council could do to unpick the probate problem with the property. He was clear that procedures did exist to force the issue: “It’s something I have to deal with from time to time in my practice, where there seems to be some obstacle to obtaining probate. Of course the exact route depends on the circumstances of the case, but there are ways and means of addressing this, though they are not widely known”. Michael Alden can be contacted by email at M.Alden@ashfords.co.uk or by phone on 01392 334041.