Leaders call for national strategy as number of empty homes rises

With local authorities facing unprecedented financial pressure from temporary accommodation costs, the coalition has urged the government to “look beyond” new build homes and treat existing empty stock as a vital national asset.

The group has called for a fully funded local authority duty to investigate and act on long-term empty home complaints. It also urged the government to bring in national financial initiatives, including a loan scheme and a national acquisition fund.

Tax incentives, such as reducing stamp duty for purchasers who use properties to provide social housing or pathways out of temporary accommodation, could be another way to bring homes back into use, the letter said.

Adam Cliff, secretary and policy lead at the Empty Homes Network, said: “With over 300,000 homes sitting stagnant while thousands of families remain trapped in unsuitable temporary accommodation, we are overlooking a ready-made solution to the housing crisis.

“We’re asking the government to stop looking the other way and give local councils the funding and authority they need to turn these properties back into real homes for local people.”

Daniel Brewer, chief executive of Resonance, said: “The quickest and most sustainable way to house those in need is to unlock the potential of the buildings we already have.

“By implementing a national empty homes strategy, the government can create a pathway for social investment to flow into local communities, de-risking the refurbishment of empty stock and creating social housing at a fraction of the cost, and carbon footprint, of new builds. We have the capital and the expertise ready to go; we now need the policy framework to match.”

Last year, the government said it will “strengthen the powers of local councils” to take over the management of vacant residential premises following a campaign by Westminster City Council.

The central London local authority called on the government to make it easier to issue empty dwelling management orders to properties that have been empty for six months.

Scotland and Wales have already introduced action plans to tackle empty homes.

The Scottish government funds the non-profit Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, run by Shelter Scotland, which helped return more than 2,000 empty homes to use in 2024-25.

 A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “Having empty homes is bad for communities and we’re fixing this as part of our plans to restore the dream of homeownership across the country.

“We’ve set out plans to make it easier for empty homes to be brought back into use and expect councils to use the powers we’ve already given them to ensure that this happens now.

“This is alongside investing £39bn to build the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation.”