Campaigners demand empty homes action to tackle housing crisis

Housing campaigners have called on politicians across the spectrum to focus on empty homes as a solution to England’s ongoing housing crisis.

According to recent research from charity Crisis, the past six years have seen the number of long-term empty properties increase in every English region.

That includes a rise of 73 per cent in London, which now has an estimated 34,000 empty properties. The east of England, south-east and the West Midlands meanwhile have all seen the number of empty homes rise by a third during the period. The north-east has the highest number of long-term empty properties as a proportion of the total housing stock, with more than 1.4 of every 100 properties unoccupied.

The figures coincide with England’s residential rents increasing at the fastest annual rate on record, with private rates rising by 5.5 per cent in the year to August, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

And campaigners say that because the new research only covers the empty properties that are known about, the real figures may be considerably worse.

Discussing potential solutions, Matt Downie, chief executive of Crisis, told The Observer: “Enabling councils to turn empty properties into genuinely affordable homes is a quick way for the government to alleviate pressure on a system at breaking point.”

Chris Bailey, campaign manager for Action on Empty Homes, added: “It’s a disgrace that we’ve seen the numbers keep climbing in lockstep with rising homelessness and housing shortages. Many [properties] end up sold at auction, often after long periods of emptiness and decay, to landlords operating a low-investment model.

“A better use would be to buy these and retrofit them as social and genuinely affordable housing for those in most housing need. We are calling for a new national Empty Homes Programme with funding devolved to local councils.”