1m homes stand empty on National Empty Homes Week
More action to address empty homes in England is needed, as one million homes stand empty while 250,000 people are in need of a home.
This National Empty Homes Week, run from February 27th – March 5th, hundreds of councils are outlining their plans to tackle empty homes, but many say they lack adequate powers to free up homes in the local area.
Action on Empty Homes, the organisation which runs the awareness week, said government data shows that 250,000 properties in England have stood empty for over six months.
However, there are another 207,000 which are covered by exemptions and don’t pay council tax, a further 257,000 ‘second-homes’ and over 70,000 permanent short-term lets paying business rates.
Director of Action on Empty Homes Rebecca Moore, said: ‘There are over one million homes without residents in England and there are hundreds of thousands of people in housing need. We must act now and long-term empty homes and unused second homes – which make up over 530,000 of those homes without residents – are a good place to start.
‘These are homes you can’t rent and you can’t buy but they could offer vitally needed housing. During a national housing crisis we cannot afford to see half a million homes stand empty because of the lack of a government strategy to support councils to bring them back into use.’
Councils have placed 100,000 families in temporary accommodation at a cost of £1.2bn per year, as a shortage of affordable housing has left thousands without a home.
But local authorities lack the powers to deal with those who leave homes empty, waiting for them to go up in value, and others who lack the money or knowledge to bring a home back into use.
Action on Empty Homes says removing the need to prove vandalism, antisocial behaviour or dangerous dereliction before action be taken on empty homes could help to resolve the issue.
A nationally funded Empty Homes Programme distributed to local councils could also help to ensure the right mix of ‘stick and carrot’ measures to address the issue.
While new powers are set to come in under the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, allowing councils to introduce a council tax premium to homes which have stood empty after a year, the organisation says more can be done.
A national programme, like those set up in Wales and Scotland, is required in England to address housing shortages and help get people into homes.
Both Wales and Scotland have also targeted the short let market, with new licensing schemes to limit Airbnb numbers in Scotland, and new residential use classes to distinguish primary and secondary homes in Wales.
Photo by Nolan Issac