The first successful applicant who paid just £1 for his new home has completed refurbishment of the property.
Home owner Jayalal Madde, 49, has completed the refurbishment of the home in Granby Four Streets after becoming the first applicant to get the keys to the cut-price homes last year under the Homes for a Pound initiative to regenerate empty homes in the area.
Jayalal, a self-employed taxi driver, raised some of the finances needed for the home through his local credit union and has been bringing the house up to Decent Homes Standard since last year. The refurbishment was part of the deal to buy the home for just £1 and he will now live in the home with his wife and two daughters.
Work is underway at six other homes as part of the scheme, which will see up to 20 properties handed over to new owners at the beginning of 2015 after the success of the first completion.
Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, says: “I am really pleased to be having a look around Mr Madde’s new home and seeing the work he has carried out to bring it up to standard.
“I know from my conversations with him that he has a genuine commitment to the area, and it is great to know that a once run down property has been lovingly transformed into a home for his family, and will also help contribute to making the local area more attractive and sustainable.
“This is a really creative scheme, but is just part of the overall picture. Across the city, we’ve already brought more than 1,300 properties back into use over the last two years, and through our housing development partners we are committed to making sure another 1,000 are renovated.”
There have been over 1,000 applications for the homes at Granby Four Streets in Kensington and Webster Triangle East in Picton. Alongside the Homes for a Pound initiative the council plans to bring 179 homes back into use in the area.
Liverpool City Council’s Assistant Mayor and Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Ann O’Byrne, says: “We know how important home ownership is to local people, and that’s why we’re doing everything we can to bring our empty homes back into use.
Mayor Anderson will visit Jayalal’s home on Wednesday to see the completed home.
