Houses left empty for a long time - or abandoned altogether - can become a real problem for a neighbourhood.

They can become the focus for vandalism and anti-social behaviour, rats and other vermin can move in and even the wild plants that colonise an empty house can cause damage to it, and possibly to neighbouring properties.

Housing experts at Swindon Borough Council say one of the main reasons why a house becomes empty is because of problems with probate – the process of transferring a deceased person’s house to someone else.

The council says recent national research suggests 90 per cent of empty houses are to do with poorly managed or complicated probate.

And the council says it has officers on hand and willing to help.

One house in Old Town last year was such a case; a council spokesman said: “In 2023, following investigations by our team in trying to trace the owner, we contacted the executor for a long-term empty property in Old Town.

The executor was very pleased we had made contact after being unsure quite what to do with the property. We established that while the person was the executor they had not applied for probate and was therefore unable to sell the property until this was resolved.

“Probate is not an easy process to understand and often requires professional advice and guidance. Our Empty Homes officer assisted the executor in getting help on the probate application and this is now progressing so the home can be brought back into use.”

If anyone has concerns about an empty home in your neighbourhood, the council says they can email the empty homes team at emptyhomes@swindon.gov.uk or learn more on our website or look up ‘empty homes’ on the website at Swindon.gov.uk.

Councillor Janine Howarth, cabinet member for housing, said: “It’s important that we highlight Empty Homes Week and the work our officers do as well as the support we can offer.

“Getting a home back to a place that is good for everyone can be a long and difficult process but we want to make sure as many houses in Swindon are occupied.

“By doing so, it means we have less people struggling for somewhere to live and keeping those homes in good condition is a big benefit for local neighbourhoods.

“If anyone has any concerns about an empty home in their area, please get in touch with our team so we can try and help.”