HOME owners with empty properties in Waltham Forest can arrange to have them brought back into use for homeless families.

The council has launched a campaign aimed at renting out and, if necessary, refurbishing more than 1,000 vacant houses, flats and maisonettes.

Some have fallen into disrepair and need renovating before they can accommodate some of the 10,300 families on the housing waiting list.

The campaign is borough-wide but there is a particular need for properties in the four neighbourhood renewal wards Leyton, Cathall and Cann Hall in Leytonstone, and Higham Hill in Walthamstow.

Cllr Loretta Hodges, cabinet member for housing, said: "With housing demand outstripping supply, it's a crying shame that there are more than a thousand properties lying empty.

"We are keen to work with owners and where necessary help them to find the money to repair the properties so that they can be used by people who are currently homeless.

"It's very much a wasted resource for home owners too. They could be earning a market rent for their properties."

She added: "Empty properties are also a blight on the landscape. If we can help owners get them refurbished it will help the wider community, improving the overall look of the borough."