Property advice - frequently asked questions

Does the council sell its residential property or land on the open market?

No - not usually other than under the right to buy, housing or leasehold enfranchisement acts, or by tender/auction.

We do not have plots of land for sale for private residential development. When an opportunity arises for private housing development on one of our sites, it is usually for social housing.

Council-owned housing estates are under the management of Hounslow Homes.

If you are a council tenant and wish to buy your property under the right to buy scheme then you need to contact Hounslow Homes.

Land in and adjacent to council-owned housing estates are managed by the Housing Supply Strategy Unit based at the Civic Centre. Generally, garden land or other small areas of land are not for sale within these estates, but if you have any queries, please contact: 0208 583 3758.

If you are looking for a plot of land to build your own home, the following web sites may be of use to you. www.buildstore.co.uk or www.self-build-land.co.uk

I am looking for a community centre

We have a limited number of properties that could be used for this purpose. Please note any sale or letting will be on the basis of a formal lease, with a market rent payable under that lease, subject to any rent subsidy, which may be awarded. Any currently available will be listed in the properties available section.

For information on properties available to hire out to voluntary groups, please contact martin.bull@hounslow.gov.uk or www.hounslow.gov.uk/home/a-z-services/c/communitydevelopmentandcommunitygroups.htm

An updated edition of the Hounslow Community Buildings Directory was recently released on the website. This contains 66 records of local community buildings, plus 26 schools/community colleges available for community use.

There are two main types of buildings included in the directory. Those that rent/hire/lease space to local voluntary/community organisations, and those that may not actually rent out any part of the building but who would regard the building as an important community building (e.g. advice centre, a community centre, or faith based centre that includes community work). See them under Community Information.

For more information or enquiries contact Sara Lindsay on 202 8583 2450 or email: sara.lindsay@hounslow.gov.uk

For information on grants available to charities or local voluntary organisations based in or providing a service in Hounslow, please contact the Community Development and Regeneration Unit.

Contact: Enid Watts, Grants Officer on 0208 583 2453. www.hounslow.gov.uk/home/a-z-services/f/fundingforthevoluntarysector.htm

Any vacant properties will appear on our web page "Properties Available". You may also wish to register with local estate agents that specialise in commercial sales and lettings. You could also register with auctioneers for information on their next property auction. Also you are advised to look in the local paper and property press.

Hounslow Voluntary Sector Forum (HVSF)

Voluntary organisations are also served by HVSF who are the independent CVS (Council for Voluntary Service) for our Borough. They represent the views of both funded and unfunded voluntary groups in the London Borough of Hounslow and offer support and advice on a wide variety of voluntary and community sector issues.

For more details contact HVSF at: Unit 9, Hounslow Business Park, Alice Way, Hounslow, Middlesex, TW3 3UD.

Telephone: 020 8572 5929. Fax: 020 8572 9027. E-mail: hvsf@yahoo.co.uk Website: Council for Voluntary Services in Hounslow

I am looking for a nursery

The Council has a very limited number of properties that could be used for this purpose. Please note any letting by the Council will be at a market rent. Any vacant property will appear on our web page. You may also wish to register with local estate agents who specialise in commercial sales and lettings.

You will also have to comply with registration standards, please contact OFSTED whose website address is: www.ofsted.gov.uk

Hounslow's Early Years and Childcare Team have their own website which is part of the HVEC Group - www.heydcp.org.uk On this site there is a page dedicated to information on how to set up new day care provision. You may also contact Freya Monk, Childcare Development Officer for the Council, who can advise on registration, funding sources, etc. Her contact No. is 0208 583 2734.

It is recommended you also look in property journals such as the Estates Gazette and Property Week and you could also register with auctioneers for information on their next property auction.

I am looking for a shop

We do not have many available and none on any High Street, apart from Brentford High Street. You may be better off registering with local estate agents that specialise in commercial sales and lettings. We recommend you tour your preferred area in order to find out which agents are active in that area. Do not forget to make a note of their names and telephone numbers from the letting boards.

I am looking for office space

The Council does not own any office space, which is available to let to outside parties. For non-Council owned accommodation contact local commercial agents.

I am looking for warehouse/storage

The Council has no large warehouses or storage. The Council owns small industrial units which can be used for storage or warehousing. All current vacancies will appear on this web page. For larger accommodation and non-Council owned accommodation, contact local commercial agents.

I have seen a boarded up dilapidated property and want to know who are the owners

Contact us on 020 8583 2502. If you believe the property to be Council owned and we can tell you if it is Council or Housing Association owned. Other than that, please contact the Land Registry.

Swansea District 6 Land Registry,
Ty Bryn Glas,
High Street,
Swansea,
SA1 1PW.

Tel: 01792 458877.

Website: www.landregisteronline.gov.uk

How do I find out who owns a piece of land or property

If you want to find out who owns a piece of land in the Borough of Hounslow, we are a good place to start. We can let you know whether or not a piece of land or property is owned by the London Borough of Hounslow and if it is, we will direct you to the relevant department responsible for the land. If you wish to purchase the land we normally ask you to write in to Corporate Property. If the land is not owned by the Council, we would normally advise you to contact the Land Registry. www.landregisteronline.gov.uk.

Often, a piece of land or property will have no record of ownership, either from the Land Registry or us. In this case, all we can advise is that you ask around the local area.

Before making your enquiry it is helpful to make sure you have as much information relating to the property or land as possible. This is especially so if there is no specific address for the property. Ideally for a property, we need to know the exact number and road name, or for a piece of land the property it is close to or a junction of two roads. The boundaries are often difficult to describe precisely over the telephone. Therefore, it would be useful if a map of the area, even a hand drawn plan showing the exact location of the land can be submitted with your enquiry. Having this sort of information will make the process much quicker.

Email: rosemary.ellis@hounslow.gov.uk

Tel: 020 8583 2502

Fax: 020 8583 2515

How do I find out who is responsible for a boundary wall or fence.

If your house was at any time owned by the London Borough of Hounslow, we may have information relating to the responsibility for boundary fences for your property. If not, we cannot advise you on this matter. In the first instance you should refer to your own property deeds.

Email: rosemary.ellis@hounslow.gov.uk

Tel: 020 8583 2502

Fax: 020 8583 2515