Plan to bring empty homes back into use should be encouraged by industry
The government’s plans to enable more long-term empty homes being brought back into use is “long overdue” and should be encouraged by lenders, one has said.
The government recently announced reforms to Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMOs), giving councils more power to take control of empty homes and make use of existing housing stock.
Amy Schofield, auction sales director at Together, said this was a “long overdue step to unlocking the hundreds of thousands of empty and disused properties in England and Wales”.
She said currently, “there is a serious shortfall in local authority power and resources for identifying and taking action on empty homes”.
Recent research from Together showed there were 1.55 million empty homes in England and Wales in 2024, valued at £500bn, and Schofield predicted that this had not changed much.
EDMOs currently allow councils to take over the management of long-term empty homes and return them to occupation for up to seven years, with ownership remaining with the property owner.
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The proposed changes will shorten the period a property needs to be empty before it becomes eligible from two years to six months, so action can be taken sooner.
The government will also streamline the application process by removing evidential requirements relating to issues such as anti-social behaviour or community support for intervention. This is expected to make it easier for local authorities to seek an EDMO through the Residential Property Tribunal.
The government will also consider further changes to strengthen the EDMO regime so councils can use their powers more effectively.
Schofield said: “Greater coordination with the private sector could prove vital to seeing more empty properties brought into use.
“We’ve previously conducted research [that] indicated there were 1.55 million empty homes in England and Wales in 2024, with a value of £500bn – and we’d expect a similar number today.
“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.”
