Empty Homes Crisis UK Councils Are Ignoring Their Own Powers

Houses stand empty while families wait. This simple truth reveals a puzzling contradiction in UK housing policy. With over 250,000 long-term vacant properties across the nation and more than a million households on waiting lists, we are facing a crisis of inaction rather than a shortage of solutions.

The housing shortage narrative dominates headlines, yet councils already possess legal powers to reclaim and repurpose empty homes. These tools gather dust while the housing crisis deepens. The question is not whether we have the means to address this issue, but why these existing powers remain unused.

The data tells a compelling story. According to the latest figures from Action on Empty Homes, over 261,000 properties have been empty for six months or more across England alone. This represents £67 billion worth of vacant housing stock sitting idle while homelessness rises and families struggle to find affordable accommodation.

The Legal Framework Councils Already Have

UK local authorities have several powerful legal mechanisms at their disposal to tackle the empty homes crisis. Understanding these existing powers reveals how much potential remains untapped:

Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMOs) allow councils to take control of properties that have been vacant for at least two years (reduced from seven years in 2022). These orders enable local authorities to refurbish and rent out these properties, recovering their costs from the rental income while the original owner retains legal ownership.

Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) provide councils with the ability to forcibly purchase problematic empty properties when owners refuse to bring them back into use. While more drastic than EDMOs, they represent a permanent solution for properties that might otherwise remain abandoned indefinitely.

Council Tax premiums give local authorities the power to charge up to 300% extra council tax on properties empty for over a year, creating a financial incentive for owners to utilise their properties. This progressive taxation increases with the length of time a property remains vacant.

Section 215 notices allow councils to require owners to improve the external appearance of neglected properties that adversely affect the amenity of an area, addressing the community impact of abandoned buildings.

Underutilization The Scale of Missed Opportunity

Despite having these robust legal tools, their implementation remains shockingly rare. Freedom of Information requests have revealed that many councils have never issued a single EDMO. Between 2006 and 2018, only 108 EDMOs were issued across the entire country, despite hundreds of thousands of eligible properties.

Compulsory Purchase Orders, while more common, are still vastly underutilised for empty homes. Many councils report that they consider CPOs only as a "last resort" and rarely follow through with the process for residential properties.

The reluctance to use these powers creates a paradoxical situation where councils simultaneously report housing shortages while leaving potential housing stock untouched. This contradiction demands explanation.

Barriers to Action Why Councils Hesitate

Several factors contribute to councils' reluctance to utilise their empty homes powers:

Resource constraints represent the most significant barrier. EDMOs and CPOs require substantial staff time, legal expertise, and upfront funding. With council budgets under increasing pressure, many local authorities prioritise other services over empty homes enforcement.

The complexity of the legal processes involved creates additional hurdles. EDMOs require multiple notices, tribunal approvals, and ongoing management. CPOs demand extensive documentation and can face legal challenges. This complexity discourages action, particularly in smaller councils with limited legal resources.

Risk aversion also plays a role in council decision-making. Taking control of private property, even when legally justified, carries political and reputational risks. Councillors may fear backlash from property owners or negative media coverage of "council overreach."

The lack of dedicated funding streams for empty homes work compounds these challenges. Unlike new housing development, which attracts various government grants and incentives, bringing empty homes back into use typically receives minimal financial support from central government.

The Potential Impact Quantifying the Opportunity

The scale of the opportunity presented by empty homes is substantial. If just half of the long-term vacant properties in England were brought back into use, it would create approximately 130,000 homes, equivalent to a year's worth of new housing construction.

Beyond raw numbers, targeting empty homes offers unique advantages. These properties already have infrastructure connections, reducing development costs. They are typically located in established communities rather than on greenfield sites. Renovating existing buildings also produces significantly lower carbon emissions than new construction, supporting climate goals.

The financial case is equally compelling. Research by the Empty Homes Agency suggests that refurbishing an empty home cost on average £25,000, compared to £150,000 or more to build a new property. Even accounting for purchase costs, the economics strongly favour bringing empty properties back into use.

Communities benefit too. Empty properties often become magnets for antisocial behaviour, vandalism, and crime. They can reduce neighbouring property values by up to 10% and create a sense of neighbourhood decline. Reclaiming these buildings reverses this negative cycle.

Success Stories Proof of Concept

Despite the overall underutilization of empty homes powers, some councils have demonstrated what is possible with the right approach.

Kent County Council established a "No Use Empty" initiative that has brought over 7,000 properties back into use since 2005. The program combines enforcement powers with financial assistance, offering interest-free loans to owners of empty properties who commit to renovation and reoccupation.

Birmingham City Council created a dedicated Empty Property Team that has returned more than 1,000 homes to use through a combination of advice, financial incentives, and enforcement action. Their systematic approach demonstrates how targeted resources can achieve remarkable results.

Middlesbrough Council successfully used CPOs to address clusters of empty homes in specific neighbourhood’s, transforming areas previously blighted by abandonment. Their approach demonstrates how empty homes work can contribute to wider regeneration goals.

These examples prove that with political will and appropriate resources, existing legal powers can effectively address the empty homes crisis.

The Way Forward A Practical Roadmap

Addressing the empty homes crisis requires action at multiple levels:

Central government must provide dedicated funding for empty homes work. A national Empty Homes Fund could offer grants and low-interest loans to councils and property owners specifically for bringing vacant properties back into use. This would address the resource constraints that currently limit council action.

Streamlining the legal processes for EDMOs and CPOs would reduce the administrative burden on councils. Simplified procedures, standardised documentation, and clearer guidance could make these tools more accessible, particularly for smaller local authorities.

Councils should establish dedicated Empty Homes Teams with specialised expertise. These teams can develop systematic approaches to identifying, prioritizing, and addressing empty properties, rather than responding reactively to complaints.

Community-based solutions offer another promising approach. Community Land Trusts and housing cooperatives have successfully renovated empty properties in several areas, creating permanently affordable homes. Councils could partner with these organizations, providing access to properties and technical support.

Improved data systems would enable more proactive identification of empty properties. Many councils rely on council tax records, which can be incomplete or outdated. Combining multiple data sources, including utility usage and postal information, could create more comprehensive empty homes registers.

Beyond Enforcement The Carrot and Stick Approach

While legal powers provide the "stick," effective empty homes strategies also require "carrots" to encourage voluntary action by property owners.

Financial incentives can be highly effective. Renovation grants, council tax discounts for properties undergoing refurbishment, and low-interest loans have all proven successful in motivating owners to bring properties back into use.

Advice and support services help owners overcome practical barriers. Many properties remain empty because owners lack the knowledge, skills, or confidence to manage renovation projects or become landlords. Councils can provide guidance, contractor recommendations, and even matchmaking services connecting owners with potential tenants or buyers.

Raising awareness of the options available to empty property owners is equally important. Many owners do not realise that councils can help, or that community organizations might be interested in purchasing or leasing their properties.

The most effective approaches combine these supportive measures with clear communication about the enforcement powers that will be used if voluntary action is not taken. This balanced approach maximises compliance while minimizing the need for costly legal proceedings.

A Call for Accountability and Transparency

Improving performance requires better accountability. Currently, many councils set no targets for empty homes work and publish little information about their activities in this area.

Mandatory reporting of empty homes statistics and enforcement actions would create transparency and enable benchmarking between similar authorities. This data should include not just the number of empty properties but also the specific interventions used and their outcomes.

Local housing strategies should explicitly address empty homes, with clear targets and dedicated resources. These strategies should be developed with community input and regularly reviewed against measurable outcomes.

Central government could further drive improvement by including empty homes metrics in performance assessments and linking funding allocations to success in this area. This would elevate empty homes work from an optional activity to a core responsibility.

Conclusion The Time for Action

The empty homes crisis represents both a challenge and an opportunity. While the barriers to action are real, they are not insurmountable. The legal framework already exists; what's lacking is the political will, resources, and systematic approach needed to apply it effectively.

As housing pressures continue to mount, we can no longer afford to leave thousands of homes standing empty. By learning from successful examples, addressing resource constraints, and combining enforcement with support, councils can unlock this wasted housing potential.

The solution to our housing crisis is not about building more homes, though that remains important. It is also about making better use of the homes we already have. With over 250,000 long-term empty properties across the country, we have a unique opportunity to address housing needs while revitalizing communities and reducing environmental impact.

The tools exist. The evidence of what works is clear. The time has come for councils to dust off their legal powers and put them to work solving one of our most pressing social challenges.