Why Cant Owners Of Empty Properties Be Made To Keep Them Looking Respectable?

[dave50]

Properties going to rack and ruin, making the area look a mess. The owners should be made to keep them looking nice and tidy at least from the outside. 

[ToraToraTora]

I know what you mean Corfe Castle has been left in a terrible state.

[douglas9401]

Possibly for the same reason that owners of occupied properties can't.

[davebro3]

Not just empty properties? There may be people living in properties who can't afford expensive repairs & refurbishment.

[netherfield]

Darn it, even the C of E let some of their churches get in a right state., and there are council properties in Town left in poor condition, of course there's no money to spend on them, some are listed so can't be demolished.

[sandyRoe]

As some people get older they can't continue the DIY work and gardening they once enjoyed.

Many can't afford to pay for the maintenance they once did themselves.

[Buenchico]

Many people (including me!) simply can't afford to keep their properties looking as neat and tidy as others might perhaps like.  

However local authorities do have the power to issue 'community protection notices' to people when the authority "if satisfied on reasonable grounds that
(a)the conduct of the individual or body is having a detrimental effect, of a persistent or continuing nature, on the quality of life of those in the locality, and
(b)the conduct is unreasonable".
[Section 43, Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014]

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/12/part/4/chapter/1/crossheading/community-protection-notices

With respect to the appearance of properties, they're probably most frequently used when people fill their front gardens with rubbish.  If such a CPN is then ignored, the local authority can take the householder to court.  e.g. 
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/homeowner-fined-turning-area-outside-143936817.html

 

[dave50]

I'm really talking about properties that have been empty for a long time. They should be at least be kept looking respectable from the outside.