Void household properties are those which are connected to mains water and/or sewerage systems but are not charged because they are believed to be empty.
We are keen to reduce the number of these properties by identifying those that are actually occupied.
During the business plan process in 2019 we set ourselves the challenging target to reduce the number of void household properties on our systems to 2.10 per cent annually, a position we have not been in since 2016/17.
If we meet that target we will receive an outperformance payment, however if we fail to reach it we will receive an underperformance penalty.
How have we performed?
The number of void household properties is at 1.8 per cent.
We continue to use our innovative in-house app ‘PikaVoid’, which was first developed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
As many of our staff live within our supply area, colleagues can voluntarily download the app onto their phones and mark whether a property is empty or occupied while out and about. Not only does this tool help us survey void properties, but it has the added benefit of encouraging staff to get out walking, improving their wellbeing.
The use of this app resulted in us achieving our target for 2022/23, and therefore we will receive a £0.255 million outperformance payment.
