Report shows increase in all types of empty homes since the pandemic
The number of long-term empty homes has increased nationally by nearly 10 per cent since 2018, according to a new report commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Empty Homes Network.
The increase – of nearly 60,000 homes since 2018 – is the equivalent of just over one per cent of the country’s housing stock.
The findings, which come at a time of critical housing need, reveal that the numbers across all definitions, types and tenures of empty homes have risen steadily since the pandemic and have largely exceeded the figures seen in 2018.
More than one million properties across England in 2022 were unoccupied, 4.01 per cent of all dwellings.
The rise comes despite the introduction of an empty homes premium in 2013, aimed at encouraging owners to bring empty properties back into use.
The report states many of the empty homes are yet to have reached a stage of deterioration that prompts concern or encourages decline but every empty home removes a property from the housing market.
The rise comes amid the wider background of frozen Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates, the rising cost of living, the closure of Afghan bridging hotels, wider asylum and resettlement pressures, and an insufficient supply of affordable housing – all driving increases in homelessness and reducing councils’ ability to source suitable accommodation.
The data shows there are currently more than one million people on council housing waiting lists and 104,000 households living in temporary accommodation.
Councillor Darren Rodwell, housing spokesperson for the LGA said: “At a time when we face a chronic housing shortage across the country it is wrong for so many homes to be left empty.
“Councils work hard to address the issue, but the existing measures are clearly falling short. This report, and the best practice proposals and recommendations within it, aim to support councils in their efforts to reduce the numbers of empty homes, increase housing supply, encourage inward investment, and provide a better quality of life for residents and neighbours affected by the issues empty homes cause.
“Councils share a collective national ambition to tackle local housing challenges. The Government should also support this ambition by using the Autumn Statement to implement our six-point action plan so that councils can resume their historic role as a major builder of affordable homes.”
Adam Cliff, secretary and policy lead for the Empty Homes Network, said: “Empty Homes are a hugely wasted resource, and at over one million empty homes nationally, this figure represents the equivalent to the number of total dwellings in the city of Manchester.
“At a time where the demand for housing is so high, working to bring empty homes back into use can not only support meeting this need, but can encourage inward investment, improve communities and enhance the lives of those who currently live near empty homes.
“This report aims to set a standard from which councils can build a solid foundation to deal with empty homes, and provides practical and evidence based ideas which will undoubtedly prove useful to councils and their officers.
“While the numbers across all empty homes categories have shown an increase over the past five years, the report aims to address this by equipping councils and officers with tools to assist in data cleansing, case progression and the overarching empty homes journey through the case progression flowchart.”
Empty homes are divided into five categories: less than six months empty, long-term empty, empty homes premium, second homes and unoccupied. By definition, an empty home is one that has no permanent occupier or can be defined as a property where the main resident lives elsewhere.
As a standard practice, empty homes that have remained unoccupied for over six months from the moment of being informed by the owner are labelled as long-term empty.
Given their category, these are the most likely to warrant concern and/or investigation by the council.
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Archives
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- November 2020
- September 2020
- July 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- February 2017