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Text of the page (random words):
action on empty homes 0 skip to content retrofit wasted homes retrofit empty homes one percent for the planet news media news media newsletter signup our impact achievements campaigns who we are data and research empty homes data the last decade london s housing crisis net zero publications research briefing 2 kinds of empty take action get involved national empty homes week 2026 report an empty home partnerships get support services support for communities donate open menu close menu retrofit wasted homes retrofit empty homes one percent for the planet news media news media newsletter signup our impact achievements campaigns who we are data and research empty homes data the last decade london s housing crisis net zero publications research briefing 2 kinds of empty take action get involved national empty homes week 2026 report an empty home partnerships get support services support for communities donate open menu close menu folder retrofit wasted homes back retrofit empty homes one percent for the planet folder news media back news media newsletter signup folder our impact back achievements campaigns who we are folder data and research back empty homes data the last decade london s housing crisis net zero publications research briefing 2 kinds of empty folder take action back get involved national empty homes week 2026 report an empty home partnerships folder get support back services support for communities donate over 1 million empty homes in england over 350 000 people in need of homes it s time for action on empty homes for over 30 years we have campaigned published data and research and supported groups bringing empty homes back into use empty homes data take action the problem 1 in every 25 homes in england are empty but there are areas where its 1 in 10 or worse in a housing crisis we cannot afford to waste homes in england over 350 000 homeless people are trapped in temporary accommodation and thousands are sleeping rough every night across the country families are under stress trying to find an affordable home to rent or buy action on empty homes analyse all forms of vacancy homes the government call long term empty are one focus seen as the worst examples and hardest to justify but they are just a fraction of the total many other homes are just as vacant often for longer you can read more about the types of empty below there are well over 1 million homes in england standing empty we can do better than this and you can help us get there what do we mean when we say there are over 1 million empty homes in england how do we arrive at that figure total official vacancy is currently 1 022 158 several categories of empty aren t included in that total this might explain why the last census found 1 5 million empty homes in england long term empty homes to be classed as long term empty a home has to be liable for council tax and to have been unfurnished and not lived in for over 6 months this figure is increasing all the time but as at october 2025 it was 303 185 a rise of 14 on 2024 and over 50 up on 2016 the year that the last national empty homes programme ended exempted empty homes these are homes which are empty many long term but for which there is a reason we might all understand for example the owner has died this is the largest exemption category comprising over 124 000 homes or nearly 60 of council tax exempt empties as at october 2025 these council tax exempted empty homes numbered over 211 000 most exemption categories are not time limited but these homes are not classified as long term empty by government even when they have spent many years empty not yet long term empties these are homes that are empty and unfurnished but haven t been that way for longer than 6 months these may well become long term empties soon some of these will be unsold newbuild homes as at october 2025 homes that are empty but have not yet been empty six months numbered nearly 240 000 furnished empty homes these are homes which nobody lives in but are furnished they may in some circumstances be used as weekend or holiday homes for their owners but increasingly many are seen as investments left to sit empty accruing value for their owner some may be used as airbnb type short lets although many of these may pay business rates and not appear on the council taxbase at all as at october 2025 there were 268 000 furnished empty homes classified as so called second homes it is also worth remembering that you can have five or 10 so called second homes even in the same council area making a nonsense of the term homes that are inherited and taken through probate but never cleared of furniture sold or brought back into use are also classified as second homes a year after probate holiday lets like second homes these are never used as primary residences but instead generate income for their owners blocking them from becoming anybody s home in many cases owners flip to business rates and qualify for small business relief avoiding all local tax analysis in summer 2025 found nearly 74 000 such dwellings flipped to business rates none of these are included in our total vacancy figure of 1 022 433 for 2025 in the south west region alone there were 21 678 paying business rates and that region is already classed as the most vacant in england without counting these homes for context the latest figure for airbnbs in london is over 87 000 suggesting many more may be concealed within other data categories valuation office agency deletions these are some of the most hidden empty homes of all they might be very visible on a local street but you won t easily find them in official data each year between 40 000 and 60 000 homes are simply removed from the council taxbase which is used to produce vacancy figures the argument is they are not in a state that is habitable but they can still continue rising in value while paying no council tax or business rates and without being counted as empty homes some may return to use but many languish like this for decades what we work on campaigning we campaign on issues with the aim of bringing empty and underutilised homes back into use campaigns research we carry out research to better understand the nuanced issues and to support our campaigns publications data analysis the only independent analysis of government vacancy data a critical lens though which to view our housing crisis empty homes data support communities we support communities and local authorities in working to bring empty homes back into use community resources retrofitting we are working with communities facilitating and supporting their empty homes retrofit journeys retrofitting let s take action on empty homes we need local action individuals and community groups have campaigned and taken action to bring empty homes back into use join our community for free to find our what you can do and be inspired to bring empty homes back into use take action government investment we call for a new national empty homes programme and better powers for local authorities to act on empties you can learn more about what that means and how you can support our campaign here learn more the right kind of housing new builds need to be genuinely affordable for the people in housing need as well as meeting energy efficiency ratings that will help us hit net zero targets ensuring energy bills are affordable for residents learn more regulating short lets airbnb short lets and second homes lock large amounts of the housing stock out of use these properties are unable to become homes for anyone we need to do more about short lets and second homes learn more i support action on empty homes because they recognise the role empties play in the housing crisis despite being the national experts on residential vacancy in a housing crisis we are funded solely by grants and donations we believe that with over 300 000 homes officially classed as long term empty in england while over 130 000 families are homeless more must be done to bring empty homes back into use you can support us in this mission with your help we raise awareness so that the issue simply can t be ignored we lobby policy makers and support communities bringing homes back into use we take action on empty homes support us subscribe to our newsletter sign up with your email address to receive news and updates first name last name email address sign up we respect your privacy thank you action on empty homes email info emptyhomes com registered office 200a pentonville road kings cross london n1 9jp registered in england as a community benefit society number 27697r read our privacy policy here get in contact with us