This is the country's new countermeasure against the problem of "vacant houses" that continue to increase nationwide.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has established a policy to revise the law so that properties with insufficient management are newly designated as ``vacant houses with poor management'' and administrative guidance is provided.
If the guidance does not improve the situation, the measures to reduce the property tax on vacant houses will be lifted and appropriate management will be encouraged.
The direction of the new measures was confirmed at the national council held on the 31st.
Regarding measures against vacant houses, the Act on Special Measures against Vacant Houses, which came into force in 2015, designates properties with particularly high risk of collapse if left unattended as "specified vacant houses" and allows them to be removed. became.
However, out of the approximately 3.5 million vacant houses that are not intended for living in Japan, only 40,000 were designated as specific vacant houses by the end of last fiscal year, and only 482 were demolished. .
For this reason, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has established a policy to introduce a new system in which properties with insufficient management are designated as ``vacant houses with poor management'' and the government gives guidance.
"Unmanaged vacant house" is designated when there is a risk of becoming a "specific vacant house" if left unattended, and is assumed to be a property with broken windows or overgrown with weeds.
In the system so far, it has been pointed out that the property tax is reduced even for vacant houses as houses, which leads to neglect, but if the situation does not improve for designated vacant houses, the reduction measures will be lifted. I'm here.
According to current estimates, there are 500,000 vacant homes that are poorly managed nationwide, and the aim is to encourage owners to properly manage them, such as removing vacant homes.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism will proceed with further detailed examination of the system and will submit a bill to revise the law to the current Diet session.
Professor Masayuki Nakagawa of Nihon University, chairman of the subcommittee on measures to deal with vacant houses, said, ``As the number of vacant houses is expected to increase, it is essential to take in-depth measures before the management situation deteriorates. I hope it will progress," he said.
A couple worried about an empty house
What would you do if you were the owner of a vacant house?
In Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, regular consultation meetings are held by specialized contractors to ensure proper management.
At the consultation meeting on the 28th of this month, Yuichi and Noriko Kato, who have an empty house in the city, visited.
The building was built 35 years ago, but has been left unoccupied for about three years after his father passed away.
It is said that over time, weeds grew thick and the building began to be damaged, so he participated in the consultation meeting.
In the future, I will consider what to do with the empty house, referring to the advice of the contractor.
Mr. Kato said, "I wanted to avoid neglecting this house and letting it fall into disrepair. However, I was at a loss because I didn't know what to do with this vacant house in the first place."
The company ``Abandoned House Consulting'', which was consulted, has been receiving more requests to utilize vacant houses every year. There are many vacant houses that have almost lost their asset value due to being neglected for many years, and I believe that the demand and need for places where people can consult with peace of mind will increase further in the future."
If you dismantle it, the tax will increase.Those who hesitate to dispose of it
Property tax may be increased by demolishing "vacant houses", but some people hesitated to dispose of "vacant houses" due to this mechanism.
A woman in her 50s living in Saitama Prefecture had a 50-year-old house in Kuki City that became vacant four years ago after her elderly parents no longer lived there.
I also considered disposing of this house, but under the current system, if the house is still there, the fixed asset tax will be reduced, and the annual tax will be around 20,000 yen. There was also, and I left it as "empty house".
“She really wanted to get rid of it, but she thought that if it didn’t sell, she would keep the taxes low,” she recalls.
After that, the woman took advantage of a system newly started by Kuki City that allows a fixed asset tax to be reduced for a certain period of time if the vacant house is demolished.
She said, "We were able to get rid of the woman with a system that reduced property taxes, but I think there are many people who leave it for negative reasons because it would be easier to do nothing as it is now." was
Expert ``In an era when people need to live for the rest of their lives''
Professor Chie Nozawa of Meiji University, who is familiar with the issue of vacant houses, said about the government's policy this time, ``Now that the baby boom generation is in the latter stages of the elderly and the problem of vacant houses is expected to become more serious, vacant houses should be sold, rented, or demolished at an early stage. It is an effective means of encouraging proper management such as, etc. However, it is necessary not only to impose penalties in the event of inadequate management, but also to enhance support measures for those who are considering dismantling." bottom.
After that, Professor Nozawa said about what owners of vacant houses can do, ``The more time passes, the more difficult it is to sell the vacant house, and the more complicated the problem becomes, and the more expensive it is to dismantle it. It is very important to start moving at the stage where you can rent it.We are entering an era where it is necessary to have the awareness that ``the residence needs to be finished.''
What is the current state of “empty houses without residential purposes”?
According to a survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, as of 2018, the total number of vacant houses without residential purposes was 3.49 million nationwide, a 1.9-fold increase from 20 years ago.
By prefecture, in descending order of numbers,
Osaka has 209,200 units,
Tokyo has 180,000 units,
Hokkaido has 157,300 units,
Hyogo Prefecture has 151,900 units, and
Kanagawa Prefecture has 140,000 units.
7700 units and so on.
The ratio of vacant houses to the total number of houses is
▽Kochi Prefecture 12.7%,
▽Kagoshima Prefecture ▽11.9%,
▽Wakayama Prefecture 11.2%,
▽Shimane Prefecture 10.5%,
▽Tokushima Prefecture 10.3%. It's getting higher.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism estimates that by 2030, there will be 4.7 million vacant houses that are not used for residential purposes.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Saito "Strengthening measures for effective utilization and management of vacant houses"
Regarding the problem of vacant houses, which continue to increase due to population decline, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Saito said at a press conference after the cabinet meeting on the 31st, ``So far, measures against vacant houses have mainly been focused on so-called 'specific vacant houses,' which have a negative impact on the surroundings. Furthermore, as the number of vacant houses is expected to increase, it is necessary to strengthen measures for effective utilization and management, and to work comprehensively."
On top of that, Minister Saito said, ``The subcommittee on measures to deal with vacant houses is scheduled to hold discussions today. I want to, ”he said, and indicated his intention to strengthen measures.