Over 100 residents bid for each £1 home

More than 2,000 people have enquired about buying 20 empty council-owned houses for one pound apiece since the scheme launched ten days ago.

The council is now extending the deadline to express interest in the pilot scheme to Wednesday 6 March.

The homes will be sold for £1 in the Granby Four Streets, Arnside Road and Webster Triangle East areas of the city.

The pilot scheme forms part of the wider plans to bring 179 homes back into use in the Kensington, Granby and Picton areas of Liverpool. The plans will also see the development of an 'Own Place' model, which will see the council transferring vacant properties to The Riverside Group, who will refurbish them and offer them for sale at 25% less than market value.

Residents who are successful in obtaining a home will be expected to refurbish it to Decent Home Standard, which means they must be in a reasonable state of repair, be warm, weatherproof and have reasonably modern facilities. They would also be required to live in the property for five years and not sub-let it within that time.

Decisions on who will get the homes, how they will be allocated, and where the homes will be, will be made in May.