By . Becky Evans . PUBLISHED: . 07:55 EST, 9 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:04 EST, 9 October 2013 . The first person to buy a house for £1 in a scheme designed to breathe life back into deserted neighbourhoods received the keys to his new home today. The Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, handed over the keys to Jayalal Madde, 48, who is the first applicant to be allocated a house under the city council's pilot scheme to sell 20 of its properties for just £1 each. Mr Madde, a self-employed taxi driver, who lives in Toxteth with his wife and two daughters, aged 10 and 12, bought a terraced house in Cairns Street, Granby. Jayalal Madde stands in the living room of the house he bought for just £1 as part of a scheme to breathe life into deserted neighbourhoods in Liverpool . Mr Madde and his family are now responsible for refurbishing the run-down house which is likely to cost about £35,000 . Mr Madde raised the money to refurbish the derelict house (pictured) through a local credit union . He has raised the money for the refurbishments - expected to cost up to £35,000 - from his local trade union. Once the house is brought up to the Decent Homes Standard he and his family can move in. The taxi driver is one of an initial 10 people who are being contacted by the city council this week to confirm they have been successful in getting a home for £1. More than 1,000 people applied for one of the 20 properties in the Granby Four Streets, Arnside Road and Webster Triangle East areas of the city. Mr Anderson said: 'I'm delighted to be officially handing over the keys to the first recipient of a home for £1. 'We've had an amazing response to this scheme and have been absolutely inundated with applications, so to already be in a position to allocate the first 10 homes is fantastic. 'Everything we are doing is about building a sustainable future for our neighbourhoods - and we've placed that at the heart of the decisions we've made when looking at the applications. Taxi driver Jayalal Madde, pictured with his wife Chami and daughters Sanali (left) and Sansali (right) were the first of 10 successful applicants to pick up the keys to their £1 home . Liverpool City Council Mayor Joe Anderson, pictured left, said he was 'delighted' to hand over the keys . 'We are only looking for people who have a genuine commitment to bringing these properties back to life and turning them into a home they are proud to live in. 'We're confident that Mr Madde is one such individual.' The decision to sell the houses for £1 came after months of delays caused by the council's decision to break off talks with developer Leader1. The firm had been in line to redevelop hundreds of homes in the 'Granby Triangle' but city leaders pulled the £25 million tender after the company failed to meet deadlines. Residents are expected to refurbish their house to Decent Home Standard, which means it must be in a reasonable state of repair, be warm, weatherproof and have reasonably modern facilities. The Madde family hope to move into their new home within a year once it has been brought up to standard . The pilot scheme in Cairns Street (pictured) is part of the council's promise to bring 1,000 homes into use . The Mayor added: 'It mustn't be forgotten that bringing these houses up to a decent standard will be a real challenge. 'Those who are successful in obtaining a house will have to put in a lot of hard work, as well as their own finances. 'But we'll be there to support them in any way we can. Properties in these areas have lain empty for too long - but in tough economic times, we need to be creative and look at doing things differently.' This pilot scheme forms part of the city council's commitment to bring 1,000 empty properties back into use across the city, and help as many local people as possible get on the property ladder. When the initiative was launched in April, the city council set out strict criteria, with applicants required to live or work in Liverpool, be a first-time buyer and to be employed. Successful applicants must also agree to live in the property for a minimum of five years and not sub-let it within that time.
Taxi driver Jayalal Madde, 48, is the first applicant to pick up the keys .
He is now responsible with bringing the run down up to standard .
Refurbishment in each of the pilot homes is likely to cost £35,000 .
Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson said he was 'delighted' at the milestone .
The city council's pilot scheme to sell 20 of its properties for £1 each aims to bring life back into deserted neighbourhoods .
By . Becky Evans . PUBLISHED: . 07:55 EST, 9 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:04 EST, 9 October 2013 . The first person to buy a house for £1 in a scheme designed to breathe life back into deserted neighbourhoods received the keys to his new home today. The Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, handed over the keys to Jayalal Madde, 48, who is the first applicant to be allocated a house under the city council's pilot scheme to sell 20 of its properties for just £1 each. Mr Madde, a self-employed taxi driver, who lives in Toxteth with his wife and two daughters, aged 10 and 12, bought a terraced house in Cairns Street, Granby. Jayalal Madde stands in the living room of the house he bought for just £1 as part of a scheme to breathe life into deserted neighbourhoods in Liverpool . Mr Madde and his family are now responsible for refurbishing the run-down house which is likely to cost about £35,000 . Mr Madde raised the money to refurbish the derelict house (pictured) through a local credit union . He has raised the money for the refurbishments - expected to cost up to £35,000 - from his local trade union. Once the house is brought up to the Decent Homes Standard he and his family can move in. The taxi driver is one of an initial 10 people who are being contacted by the city council this week to confirm they have been successful in getting a home for £1. More than 1,000 people applied for one of the 20 properties in the Granby Four Streets, Arnside Road and Webster Triangle East areas of the city. Mr Anderson said: 'I'm delighted to be officially handing over the keys to the first recipient of a home for £1. 'We've had an amazing response to this scheme and have been absolutely inundated with applications, so to already be in a position to allocate the first 10 homes is fantastic. 'Everything we are doing is about building a sustainable future for our neighbourhoods - and we've placed that at the heart of the decisions we've made when looking at the applications. Taxi driver Jayalal Madde, pictured with his wife Chami and daughters Sanali (left) and Sansali (right) were the first of 10 successful applicants to pick up the keys to their £1 home . Liverpool City Council Mayor Joe Anderson, pictured left, said he was 'delighted' to hand over the keys . 'We are only looking for people who have a genuine commitment to bringing these properties back to life and turning them into a home they are proud to live in. 'We're confident that Mr Madde is one such individual.' The decision to sell the houses for £1 came after months of delays caused by the council's decision to break off talks with developer Leader1. The firm had been in line to redevelop hundreds of homes in the 'Granby Triangle' but city leaders pulled the £25 million tender after the company failed to meet deadlines. Residents are expected to refurbish their house to Decent Home Standard, which means it must be in a reasonable state of repair, be warm, weatherproof and have reasonably modern facilities. The Madde family hope to move into their new home within a year once it has been brought up to standard . The pilot scheme in Cairns Street (pictured) is part of the council's promise to bring 1,000 homes into use . The Mayor added: 'It mustn't be forgotten that bringing these houses up to a decent standard will be a real challenge. 'Those who are successful in obtaining a house will have to put in a lot of hard work, as well as their own finances. 'But we'll be there to support them in any way we can. Properties in these areas have lain empty for too long - but in tough economic times, we need to be creative and look at doing things differently.' This pilot scheme forms part of the city council's commitment to bring 1,000 empty properties back into use across the city, and help as many local people as possible get on the property ladder. When the initiative was launched in April, the city council set out strict criteria, with applicants required to live or work in Liverpool, be a first-time buyer and to be employed. Successful applicants must also agree to live in the property for a minimum of five years and not sub-let it within that time.
for £1 in a scheme designed to breathe life back into deserted neighbourhoods received the keys to 48, who is the first applicant to be allocated a house under the city council's pilot scheme to sell 20 of its properties for just £1 each. Mr run-down house which is likely to cost about driver Jayalal Madde, pictured with his wife applicants to pick up the keys to their £1 home . Liverpool City Council Mayor Joe Anderson, pictured left, said he was 'delighted' to hand been brought up to standard . The pilot scheme in