“Dangerous unoccupied house” removal cost of local government 17 times in 3 years 6:47 on December 3
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The removal of so-called “dangerous vacant houses” with the risk of collapse etc., the total cost spent by the local governments nationwide last year was over 380 million yen, and it has been rapidly increased by 17 times in 3 years It was. On the other hand, from the owners of vacant homes, there were almost no cases where expenses could be recovered, and experts pointed out that “the public burden will continue to increase, which may put pressure on local government finances”.
As of October last year, the number of “vacant houses” in which people do not live has risen to 8.49 million nationwide. There are many cases of forcible removal.
In the last fiscal year, there were 67 cases in which local governments were forcibly removed, and the NHK survey revealed that the total cost of removal was approximately 380 million yen.
This is a rapid increase of about 17 times compared to FY2015, when the Special Measures Law for vacant houses measures was taken to encourage the removal of vacant houses by local governments.
In the background of the rapid increase, there is an increasing number of cases where local governments are being forced to respond due to the negative effects on the surroundings, such as the fall of roof tiles to school roads and the occurrence of fires due to arson.
On the other hand, these unoccupied houses cannot be recovered even if the local government takes over the removal because the owner cannot be contacted or there is no owner, and more than 90% is publicly borne.
Prof. Chie Nozawa of Toyo University, who is familiar with the issue of vacant houses, said, “Dangerous vacant houses are expected to continue to increase in the future, and there is a risk that the increase in costs may put pressure on the local government's finances. We need a mechanism to boost dismantling. "
Removal Large financial and human burden for local governments
The removal of so-called “dangerous vacant houses” that are at risk of collapse, etc., is a big burden both locally and financially for local governments.
In Katori City, Chiba Prefecture, at least 120 “dangerous unoccupied houses” have been confirmed, but there are no corresponding dedicated staff, and there are three persons in charge who work concurrently with other operations.
In Katori City, when a dangerous vacant house is found, the owner is identified and contacted through the “registration” of the building. However, in some cases, the property is not registered in the first place, and the information listed has not been updated for many years, so the current owner may not be known.
In addition, if the owner is dead, it is necessary to check the family register and search for spouses and children, etc. It ’s a big burden to look ahead and verify ownership.
Furthermore, even if the owner can confirm it, there are cases where it does not immediately respond to repair or removal, and it is necessary to continue to seek improvements.
On the other hand, since the Special Measures Law was enacted in 2015, the local government has been able to remove vacant houses when there are no owners or when it cannot be identified, but there are many cases where expenses cannot be recovered, Katori City has already paid at least 15 million yen through public funds.
Mr. Akihiko Sato, Katori City Urban Development Division said, “It takes time to investigate the owner, and if it is left unattended, the city has to deal with it, and the financial burden is quite large. If you manage it well, there should be no city curtain, so don't leave the building and take care of it until the end. "
Responding to high-risk “dangerous vacant houses” New challenges
As the number of “vacant houses” increases, it has become a new challenge to deal with “dangerous vacant houses”, which are particularly high risk in local governments nationwide.
According to a survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the number of unoccupied houses was 520,000 in 1963, but in 1998 it was 10 times the original, 5.75 million, in 2008 it was 7.75 million, and last year it was 8.49 million. Consistently increasing with the door.
Along with this, the number of “dangerous vacant homes” that are left unmanaged for a long time is increasing.
In this NHK interview, there were cases where the outer walls of buildings collapsed due to the influence of typhoons, cases where roof tiles fell on the road, and cases where fires occurred due to the buildings being lit.
In addition, because it is close to the school road, there were several cases where children could be damaged if collapsed.
Forced removal increases, and the burden on local governments
As the number of dangerous vacant houses increases, the number of cases where local governments forcibly remove them has increased, and the burden has increased.
In 2015, four years ago, after the Law on Special Measures against Unoccupied Houses was enacted, 9 cases were forcibly removed by the local government in 2015, 37 in 2016, and in 2017 52 cases have increased year by year, 67 cases last year.
Expenses for the removal of local governments have also increased rapidly. According to the NHK survey, it was more than 22 million yen in FY2015, but it was about 140 million yen in FY2016 and about 120 million yen in FY2017. It was 380 million yen last year.
If the local government removes, there is a method to sell the land after dismantling the vacant house and fill the dismantling cost with the profit, but in most cases the buyer does not get it, 90% or more can not recover the cost , It is a public expense.
Number of removals by prefecture in the previous fiscal year The most is 6 cases in Hyogo Prefecture
Last year, the number of cases in which local governments nationwide removed dangerous unoccupied houses was 67 in 25 prefectures.
Breakdown by prefecture.
▽ 6 cases ... Hyogo Prefecture.
▽ 5 cases ... Chiba Prefecture.
▽ 4 cases ... Hokkaido Akita Prefecture Shimane Prefecture Fukuoka Prefecture.
▽ 3 cases ... Ibaraki prefecture Yamanashi prefecture Mie prefecture Ishikawa prefecture Shiga prefecture Osaka prefecture Ehime prefecture Nagasaki prefecture.
▽ 2 cases: Miyagi prefecture Yamagata prefecture Saitama prefecture Niigata prefecture Gifu prefecture.
▽ 1 case ... Aomori Prefecture Iwate Prefecture Toyama Prefecture Shizuoka Prefecture Okayama Prefecture Kumamoto Prefecture.
Establish Kofu City Unoccupied House Countermeasure Section Strengthen measures
Kofu City in Yamanashi Prefecture, which has the highest rate of unoccupied houses in Japan, has strengthened its countermeasures by setting up the “Unoccupied House Countermeasures Section” from Ototoshi and assigning five dedicated staff members.
According to an independent survey conducted by the city, there are over 3,000 vacant houses in Kofu City, 44 of which are so-called “dangerous vacant houses” with the risk of collapse.
The city sends documents to the owners of unoccupied houses for improvement along with photos of the site, but there are many cases where there is no reply or financial reasons for not responding.
For this reason, in the city, the person in charge visits the owner and introduces a system that subsidizes the removal cost.
Sometimes I travel outside the prefecture and visit several times a day, aiming to meet the owner.
Mr. Yasuhiro Tanaka, Director of the Kofu City Unoccupied House Countermeasures Section, said, “The owner told me“ I want the city to do it, ”but I will use precious taxes. However, it is difficult for elderly people, especially those who are unable to cope with the family situation and financial burden, "he said.
Expert “Requires a mechanism to boost dismantling by owners”
Prof. Chie Nozawa of Toyo University, who is familiar with the problem of vacant houses, said, “If a devastated dangerous vacant house is neglected, it will save the lives and assets of local people. There is a situation that the government cannot deal with with public expenses, but the impression is that the amount is very expensive than expected. “Currently, we are dealing with“ tapping ”, but there are a lot of“ reserve troops ”for dangerous vacant houses, and the cost of removal will continue to increase, and there is a risk of pressure on local government finances.” The
In addition, if the house is built, the property tax will be reduced even if it is a vacant house, so it is said that it is in a state of “losing more if it is demolished”, which is why active dismantling does not proceed.
On that basis, Prof. Nozawa needs to take measures to support the dismantling of the owner, such as canceling the reduction of property tax in the case of an empty house, or giving some tax preferential treatment when the building is dismantled Proposal.
Prof. Nozawa said, “The problem with vacant houses is that it is the owners of the buildings that are not the most troublesome. Housing is originally an individual property, and the situation that the government should deal with should be avoided. "I think we are now at a stage where we need a mechanism that encourages owners to dismantle, such as a mortgage tax cut at the time of new construction."