You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Number of long-term empty homes up nearly 10% in five years, says LGA
The number of long-term empty homes has increased nationally by nearly 10% over the past five years, research commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA) has found.
According to a report on the findings by the LGA and the Empty Homes Network, the increase – 60,000 homes since 2018 – is the equivalent of just over 1% of the country’s housing stock.
The researchers found 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.
The data shows that more than one million properties across England in 2022 were unoccupied, 4.01% of all dwellings.
READ MORE
The LGA said that despite the introduction of an empty homes premium in 2013, which was aimed at encouraging owners to bring empty properties back into use, numbers continue to rise not only across England, but also in Scotland and Wales.
The research comes after councils across England called for an “urgent” intervention from chancellor Jeremy Hunt, warning that many face bankruptcy over crippling temporary accommodation costs.
There are more than 104,000 households in temporary accommodation, the most since records began.
The report also includes guidance for councils on how to tackle empty homes by improving data recording and accuracy, such as implementing an empty homes database.
It also highlights the need for creating a guide for the progression of cases in order to provide structure to the process through to occupation, as well as an information source checklist to enable officers to identify knowledge gaps.
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 at the Empty Homes Network, said empty homes are a “hugely wasted resource”.
He said: “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.”
A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokesperson said: “We have reduced the number of long-term empty homes by more than 50,000 since 2010 by giving councils powers to bring empty properties back into use to deliver new homes for communities.
“We recently laid out an ambitious long-term plan for housing and are on track to deliver one million homes this parliament.”
Sign up for our homelessness bulletin
Already have an account? Click here to manage your newsletters
