There are more than 200,000 homes in England that stay empty in the long term, equal to almost 1 per cent of all housing stock in the country.
An analysis of government data conducted by national campaigning charity Empty Homes shows that 0.88 per cent of England’s housing stock is long-term empty.
The report, supported by challenger bank Aldermore, also reveals that most of the empty properties are located in the North.
In North England 1.34 per cent of the region’s housing stock is classified as long-term empty, the highest proportion among all English regions. The North West ranks second with 1.27 per cent of housing stock unoccupied in the long term, followed by Yorkshire and Humber with a proportion of 1.15 per cent. London has the lowest percentage of long-term empty homes in England (0.6 per cent).
The report has found some common reasons why homes remain unoccupied for long. Those include:
- A landlord previously rented out a property and it now needs a lot of work before it can be let again and the landlord is unable to find the money to get the works done.
- Someone has inherited a property (perhaps jointly with another family member) and is unsure what is best to do: whether to sell, rent, or move into it.
- People have bought properties to do up and for a variety of reasons, including the pressure of other commitments and financial constraints, are taking a long time to complete the works or the works have stalled.
- People are holding a property empty anticipating a rise in its market value before seeking to sell it. Added to which, some people have unrealistic expectations of the price their property could fetch given the local market.
Commenting on the research, Helen Williams, CEO of the Empty Homes Charity, said:
“With so many people priced out of decent housing across England, there is an imperative to make the most of the empty homes we have in all parts of England, alongside building new homes that are within the reach of people on low to ordinary incomes.”
Charles Haresnape, group managing director for mortgages at Aldermore Bank, said:
“The lack of housing supply is the biggest challenge facing the housing market today. Until 1990, the number of homes built every year was over 200,000, but the total has only exceeded that level in four years since, during the period between 2004 and 2007.
“To meet current demand we need to take a two-pronged approach; refurbishing empty homes and bringing them back into use, combined with building new homes.”
