Abode Recruitment

Temporary gas supplies are being introduced in empty council houses in a bid to cut waiting times for prospective tenants.

Properties in East Durham have been left unoccupied for up to three months while old or broken solid fuel heating systems are replaced with more cost-efficient natural gas.

But arm’s-length management organisation East Durham Homes is now installing liquid petroleum gas fuel supplies as a temporary measure in an effort to enable new tenants to move in quicker.

Head of neighbourhood services Jack James said: ‘Empty council houses with solid fuel heating and hot water systems have become very difficult to let since the demise of the coal industry.

‘However, it can take around 12 weeks for the gas companies to switch them over to natural gas, during which time they often stand empty.

‘Using LPG means tenants can move into a property much sooner and have access to a reliable heating and hot water supply while they are waiting to be connected to the gas network.’

The scheme is also available to tenants across EDH’s 8,600 properties who have chosen to have their old solid fuel boiler replaced as part of a Decent Homes improvement scheme or because it has broken down.

This means they do not have to leave their homes for alternative accommodation. In the past, waiting times have deterred some tenants from opting for the cheaper and more environmentally friendly natural gas modern gas heating systems.