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MPs urge ministers to launch ‘empty homes strategy’ to tackle housing crisis
MPs, peers and housing organisations have called for more funding for councils to buy long-term empty homes, saying they offer an “immediate solution” to reduce homelessness.
The cross-party group wrote to Matthew Pennycook, the housing minister, yesterday (19 December), calling on the government to introduce a “national empty homes strategy” to bring “large-scale” numbers of properties back into use.
Among the proposals is a “national loan fund” for councils and developers, at low or 0% interest, allowing them to acquire and refurbish empty homes.
Around 265,000 homes in England have been vacant for over six months, the group said. At the same time, more than 123,000 homeless households are living in temporary accommodation.
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The letter was signed by 19 MPs and peers, including Lord Bird, who founded the Big Issue. The chief executive of homelessness charity Crisis and a Church of England representative also signed the letter.
Other proposals by the group include increasing the percentage of funds under the government’s Affordable Homes Programme that can be allocated to buy and refurbish empty homes.
“This can be achieved through a simple ministerial directive to local authorities, without requiring any changes to regulations,” the letter said.
They also called for more powers for councils to issue empty dwelling management orders, or EDMOs.
The organisations urged the minister to reduce the qualifying period for EDMOs from two years to six months and consider removing the requirement that properties must be “causing a nuisance” before an EDMO can be used.
The letter followed a parliamentary roundtable on empty homes chaired by Paula Barker, the Labour MP for Liverpool Wavertree, and supported by Capital Letters, a not-for-profit landlord and housing service provider, and Crisis.
Ahead of the government’s long-term housing strategy, due to be published next spring, the group called for a national empty homes plan with funding for more acquisitions and a statutory duty for councils to undertake empty-homes work.
The letter also suggested reforming probate to end the situation where some properties are indefinitely exempted from the empty homes premium, an additional tax councils can charge on empty properties.
Ms Barker said: “It is not right that so many properties are sitting empty when so many families are in desperate need of a home.
“We are urging the government to drive action on empty homes as part of its long-term housing plans. This will enable more households to be supported into a secure home sooner.”
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has been contacted for comment on the letter.
Scotland and Wales have already introduced empty-homes action plans. The Scottish government funds a non-profit Empty Homes Partnership run by Shelter Scotland which helped to return 1,875 long-term empty properties to use in 2023-24.
