One home in 25 across England sit empty, which equates to over a million.
Elliot Vure, sales director at Together, highlighted the issue as part of National Empty Homes Week recently, a yearly event organised by the charity Action on Empty Homes.
Vure said “while the nation often focuses on building new homes, a large and often overlooked percentage of homes in England are already empty. However, there is a shortfall in local authority power and resources for identifying the empty homes and taking action on empty home complaints within councils. There are also barriers for prospective buyers, investors and landlords to accessing the right kind of finance once these properties are on the market.
Traditional mortgage products often aren’t suitable for empty or dilapidated homes, especially where a property is deemed uninhabitable. That’s where specialist lending can play a vital role. As an industry we should be encouraging and supporting borrowers who are willing to take on vacant or neglected homes. That could mean greater flexibility on property conditions at purchase or exploring partnerships with local authorities where empty homes are a particular issue.”
Previous research from Together found that over half of Brits (52%) pass by a deserted building every week.
The research also found that half of the public (49%) called for abandoned and derelict buildings in their hometowns to be revived for new purposes such as housing, business or retail.
Since 2022, Together has seen a 95% increase in the number of bridging loans the lender has funded, some of which will have been used to bring empty, run-down or otherwise ‘unmortgageable’ homes back into use.
This is also backed up by industry body Propertymark who state that thousands of homes remain empty because of a lack of funds and staff.
The group, which represents lettings and estate agents, received 226 responses to Freedom of Information requests to local councils.
Just 38% appear to have an empty homes strategy while only 41% employ at least one dedicated officer to tackle the issue.
A mere 25% actually have a dedicated budget.
Propertymark says there are over 350,000 homes across the UK empty for over six months.
And it insist that without appropriate council resourcing and planning, most of these will remain empty into the indefinite future.
Timothy Douglas, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Propertymark, says “long-term empty properties are a visible reminder of a system that is not working as effectively as it should.
At a time when housing demand continues to outstrip supply, leaving hundreds of thousands of homes unused is neither economically nor socially sustainable. Our research shows that while governments across the UK have introduced a range of measures, too many local authorities lack the dedicated resources, funding and strategic framework needed to deliver meaningful change.
Financial penalties alone will not solve the problem. What works is sustained local engagement, professional advice, and properly funded empty homes teams that can support owners through the process of bringing properties back into use.
This paper sets out practical, deliverable reforms that would help unlock this wasted stock, revitalise high streets and neighbourhoods, and provide much-needed homes for communities across the country.”
The Deposit Protection Service donates £1m
The Deposit Protection Service says it has facilitated the donation of a total of £1m to homeless charity partner St Mungo’s in little more than a year.
The donations come from interest generated while The DPS safeguards tenants’ rental deposits.
At the end of a tenancy, tenants can choose to donate this interest to St Mungo’s.
Managing director Matt Trevett says “St Mungo’s delivers vital support to people facing some of the toughest circumstances across London and the South of England. Many of our employees are also supporting the charity directly, donating time and energy to a number of local St Mungo’s initiatives.”
A St Mungo’s spokesperson adds “with record numbers of people now facing or at risk of homelessness, our work has never been more urgent. The DPS’s fantastic £1m fundraising milestone and continued support will make a real and lasting difference, helping people to recover from homelessness and rebuild their lives.”
The DPS says its partnership with St Mungo’s also aims to provide support in local communities, particularly in Bristol, where the deposit protector is headquartered.
Social housing landlords could house homeless households
The government has hinted that social housing landlords could be required to take council-referred homeless households.
In response to a written question, homelessness minister Alison McGovern said the government could introduce legislation to tighten rules around how social housing is allocated.
The news comes as councils expand schemes with private landlords to tackle homelessness.
Require social housing landlords to rehouse statutory homeless households
In a written question, Liberal Democrat MP Lee Dillion asked “what steps is the government taking to ensure that people experiencing homelessness are able to access social housing."
In response, Ms McGovern said “the government will deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housing in a generation, including through the new 10 year £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme.
As set out in our National Plan to End Homelessness, we will work with partners to update statutory guidance on social housing allocations to ensure that allocations reflect local need and effectively support vulnerable households.
Where joint working is not operating effectively, we will consider levers to require social housing landlords to rehouse statutory homeless households referred by the council, including legislating if necessary.”
£2.8 million a year on temporary accommodation
As previously reported on Property118, councils across the country are spending more than £2.8 million a year on temporary accommodation.
In practice, councils often advise private tenants facing eviction to remain in their rented home while homelessness prevention work is carried out, in order to avoid households becoming homeless and needing temporary accommodation.
However, the government’s Homelessness Code of Guidance says “housing authorities should not consider it reasonable for an applicant to remain in occupation until eviction by a bailiff."