The government wants to see more empty homes brought back into use across the country.

Local authorities have strong powers and incentives to tackle empty homes. They have the discretionary powers to charge additional council tax on properties which have been left unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for one or more years. The maximum premium that a council can apply increases, depending on the length of time that the property has been empty for, with a premium of up to 300% on homes left empty for over ten years.

They can also access funding through the Affordable Homes Programme and Local Authority Housing Fund. Through the New Homes Bonus, local authorities can also receive the same level of reward for bringing an empty home back into use as building a new one.

Local authorities can also use powers to take over the management of long-term empty homes to bring them back into use in the private rented sector. Local authorities can apply for an Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) when a property has been empty for more than two years, subject to the production of evidence that the property has been causing a nuisance to the community and evidence of community support for their proposal. More information can be found on gov.uk here.

The government outlined its intent to strengthen local authorities’ ability to take over the management of vacant residential premises in the English Devolution White Paper published in December 2024.

The Government committed to strengthening existing local authority powers to take over the management of vacant residential premises in the Devolution White Paper. It is for local authorities to decide how to use these powers and there is no requirement to use these powers to secure asylum accommodation. We are committed to empowering local authorities to continue using the range of powers and incentives that they have to tackle long-term empty homes, given that these properties can attract anti-social behaviour and exacerbate local housing shortages.

This government are committed to developing a long-term strategy for asylum accommodation which will deliver a better long-term model of accommodation supply to reduce the use of hotels and competition for affordable housing. As allocated through the Spending Review, the government will be investing £500 million in a more sustainable accommodation model, delivered by MHCLG in partnership with the Home Office and developed in consultation with local authorities in order to deliver better outcomes for communities and taxpayers.

My Department has published a register of decisions on compulsory purchase orders in England submitted by local authorities for confirmation since 2019. It can be found on gov.uk here.

The Department does not collect data on the number of Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMOs) that have been issued.

Local authorities can apply for an EDMO when a property has been empty for more than two years, subject to the production of evidence that the property has been causing a nuisance to the community and evidence of community support for their proposal. More information can be found on gov.uk here.

As set out in the Devolution White paper, we are committed to strengthening local authority powers to take over the management of vacant residential premises. Further updates will be provided in due course.

The First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Residential Property division compiles only aggregated statistics for receipts of interim Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMO) approved and final EDMO appeals.

Over the last five years EDMO receipts were as follows:

*The data recorded is unpublished management information and has not been subject to the same quality checks as Official Statistics, which are published by the Ministry of Justice.

Local authorities can use an Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMO) to increase available housing by bringing empty homes back into use.

Local authorities can apply for an EDMO when a property has been empty for more than two years. This is subject to the production of evidence that the property has been causing a nuisance to the community and evidence of community support for the proposal. Local authorities publish local guidance on how they use them.

Local authorities have a range of wider powers and incentives to bring empty homes back into use, which include discretionary powers to charge council tax premiums on properties which have been left unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for one or more years, and local authorities receive the same level of reward for bringing an empty home back into use as they would for building a new one through the New Homes Bonus.

The government wants to support local authorities in bringing empty properties back into use and we outlined our intent to strengthen their ability to take over the management of vacant residential properties in the English Devolution White Paper.

The Department does not collect data on the number of Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMOs) that have been issued.

Local authorities can apply for an EDMO when a property has been empty for more than two years, subject to the production of evidence that the property has been causing a nuisance to the community and evidence of community support for their proposal. More information can be found on gov.uk here.

Local authorities can apply for an Empty Dwelling Management Order when a property has been empty for more than two years. This is subject to the production of evidence that the property has been causing a nuisance to the community and evidence of community support for the proposal.

Local authorities publish local guidance on how they use them. Similarly, local authorities can use Compulsory Purchase Orders to acquire empty properties, provided they can demonstrate the acquisition is in the public interest.

As previously outlined to this House on 7 June 2023, the number of long-term empty homes remains substantially lower than when records began in 2004. As of May 2010, over 300,000 homes in England had been standing empty for longer than 6 months. As of October 2022, the number of long-term empty properties had fallen to 248,633.

The Government wants to encourage empty homes back into use and to empower local leaders to reinvest in their communities. Local authorities already have many powers and strong incentives to tackle empty homes. Through the New Homes Bonus, they receive the same level of reward for bringing an empty home back into use as building a new one.

Council Tax billing authorities in England currently have the power to charge up to 100% extra council tax - on top of the standard bill - on properties that have been unoccupied and unfurnished for at least two years, up to 200% extra on properties that have been empty for at least five years, and up to 300% extra on properties that have been empty for at least 10 years.

The Levelling up and Regeneration bill will give councils the power to apply the 100% premium on properties left empty after a year, rather than the current two years. The premium will provide local leaders with additional flexibility to help address the impacts of empty homes and improve the sustainability of local services where they consider that appropriate.

Additionally, in certain circumstances, local authorities can exercise powers to take over the management of long-term empty homes to bring them back into use in the private rented sector. Local authorities can apply for an Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) when a property has been empty for more than two years, subject to the production of evidence that the property has been causing a nuisance to the community and evidence of community support for their proposal.

The Mayor of London, through the London Plan and Housing Strategy, sets out where homes should be built and what level of affordable housing is required.

It is for local housing authorities to decide when to use their powers to deal with empty properties, and they have the flexibility to focus on locally determined priorities and allocate their resources accordingly.

The Government is taking action to encourage empty homes back into use. In certain circumstances, local authorities can exercise powers to take over the management of long-term empty homes in order to bring them back into use in the private rented sector. Local authorities can apply for an Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) when a property has been empty for more than two years, subject to the production of evidence that the property has been causing a nuisance to the community and evidence of community support for their proposal.

Similarly, Compulsory Purchase Orders can be used by local authorities to acquire empty properties where the authority can demonstration that the acquisition would be in the public interest.

The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill will give councils the power to apply the 100% premium on properties left empty after a year, rather than the current two years. The premium will provide local leaders with additional flexibility to help address the impacts of empty homes and improve the sustainability of local services where they consider that appropriate.

Local authorities are equipped with a range of powers and strong incentives to tackle empty homes. This includes Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EMDOs). In certain circumstances, local authorities can apply for an EDMO to temporarily take over the management of a property that has been empty for more than two years and bring it back into use.

It is for local authorities to decide when to use these powers and to assess the effectiveness to manage their particular circumstances.

The number of long term empty homes remains substantially lower than when records began in 2004. At May 2010 over 300,000 homes in England had been standing empty for longer than 6 months. As of October 2019 the number of long term empty properties had fallen to 225,845.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service does not hold information on how many local authorities have used interim Empty Dwelling Management Orders which have been authorised by the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).