Empty homes are on the increase. So why aren't they being used to fix the housing shortage?
In 1980, when Corina Poore, 36 years old and pregnant, very first opened the door to a run-down home in New Cross Gate, south-east London, the estate representative refused to action in with her.
Inside were dead cats, pet dog excrement and dirty mattresses. Pigeons flew in through holes in the roofing and there was no indoor toilet. The extreme decaying odor was frustrating.
Still, Corina decided this was her dream home. It was roomy, the ₤ 24,000 price was affordable and she was sure that everything was fixable.
After taking out a mortgage, she got a grant of ₤ 3,500 from Lewisham council, her local authority, which paid for fixing the ceiling.
"At that point, ₤ 3,500 was quite a healthy quantity, which I desperately required," recalls Corina.
Some 45 years on, her Victorian four-storey house is worth roughly ₤ 1m - something Corina, a semi-retired movie and TV critic who contacted us through Your Voice, Your BBC News, might never ever have actually paid for otherwise.
However, times have actually altered.
Lewisham Council has actually continued to use grants to the owners of empty homes for enhancements - some for as much as ₤ 20,000 - but the uptake is low.
Just 22 grants were awarded in the district in the last five years - despite it having 2,253 empty homes. A spokesperson for Lewisham Council said that, in addition to the grants, it is working "to ensure homes aren't permitted to remain empty or become derelict in our district".
At present, however, 775 have been empty for longer than six months. Meanwhile, there is a national housing shortage, with increasing homelessness and long social housing waiting lists.
As of October 2024, there were practically 720,000 empty homes in England, according to the government.
On the face of it, bringing these empty residential or commercial properties back into use would make up a considerable chunk of the 1.5 m homes that the Labour government desires to contribute to the nation's housing stock by the end of its term.
But up until now that isn't taking place enough. The question is why, and provided it could, in theory, be a sensible service to two growing problems, is this a case of a missed chance - or is the problem more complicated still?
Rising long-lasting empty homes
Not all empty homes remain in the dire state of repair work that Corina's as soon as was. But approximately 265,000 of them in England have actually been vacant for longer than six months and are classified by the federal government as long-term empty (LTE). (Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have various housing policies, as housing is a devolved matter in the UK.)
Fixing these would also have a significant impact on the neighborhoods around them, as long-lasting empty residential or commercial properties can attract anti-social behaviour and in some cases lower an area's worth.
Ann Devereaux, of St Werburgh's in Bristol, states that after the residential or commercial property next to her home fell vacant, it ended up being a "magnet" for crime.
"It makes me feel frightened when I leave my home or be available in during the night," she included.
The government has formerly actioned in. The 2010-15 Coalition made funding readily available by means of 2 plans: the Empty Homes Programme, which offered owners grants to fix their long-lasting empty homes; and the New Homes Bonus scheme, which rewarded councils that brought such residential or commercial properties back into use.
They appeared to have actually made an effect. Between 2010 and 2016, the general variety of empty homes visited 20% to 590,000, and crucially, long-lasting empty homes dropped by 33% to 200,000.
However, in 2016 the federal government then ended the Empty Homes Programme and reduced the benefits from the New Homes Bonus plan - after which the concern became the sole responsibility of councils.
By 2024, the number of empty homes had sneaked back up by 22% and the variety of LTEs had risen 32%.
A report by the charity Action on Empty Homes concluded it was "likely" that completion of the Coalition's scheme had actually been an element behind this boost, along with changing housing market conditions and financial unpredictability.
And once it was left up to local authorities to decide what to do about empty homes, the approach differed commonly from location to location.
Councils got imaginative - however struggled to fix it
Currently there is no centralised details about the actions private English councils have actually taken because 2016, so we got in touch with every one to inquire about their approach.
In overall, 77 of the 245 councils who reacted to the BBC's liberty of info requests said they continued offering grants or loans. But most of the times, take-up was so low that it didn't avoid the number of long-lasting empty homes from increasing.
A few councils even ended their financial support schemes since of this.
Corina Poore suggests that individuals may not realise such plans even exist.
But Benjamin Radstone, a residential or commercial property developer who partners with the public to recognize empty homes, says there is a variety of factors why owners do not use up deals and incentives around empty homes.
"People do not wish to be pressured," he states. "They'll do it when they're all set to do it."
Other councils have actually had some success with schemes of their own. In Kent, a No Use Empty plan uses interest-free loans for as much as 3 years to owners who will let or sell the residential or commercial property later on.
Though it was set up 20 years ago with a reasonably modest pot of ₤ 5m, today it is self-sufficient. Nearly 200 of these loans have actually been issued over the past 5 years.
Now the council wants to see the scheme broadened nationally. In 2015 a group of MPs, peers and housing campaigners wrote to housing minister Matthew Pennycook advising him to implement it nationwide.
Elsewhere in England, some councils have attempted more innovative options, such as linking private financiers with empty house owners. Almost all councils charge premium council tax rates on long-lasting empty homes, which can be as much as 300% of standard council tax rates.
But Mr Radstone, who refurbishes empty homes through his company You Spot Residential or commercial property, argues, that this can "press individuals far from wishing to engage with the council".
Some also argue that this can disincentivise councils from addressing the root problem, as empty homes bring them more earnings through the superior tax rates.
"We're now in a position where councils are really stating, 'Well, we're being rewarded for homes being left empty longer,'" says Adam Cliff, policy lead at the Empty Homes Network.
Councils do likewise have the power to take legal action against owners of empty homes, but this can be dangerous, time-consuming and expensive.
And while loans and grants can be utilized to target about 10-20% of long-lasting empty homes, Mr Cliff approximates, you would require to make use of other procedures to get most of them back into use, he states.
This was the experience of Kent County Council, which states only 18% of its LTEs that were revived into usage did so after interest-free loans were provided. In reality 61% did so after guidance was offered to owners around the likes of tax and VAT, raising financing and planning.
"If a council has 2,000 empty homes," Mr Cliff states, "they require 2,000 various services."
A baffling conundrum
Part of the problem about there being a quarter of a million long-term empty homes is that this comes at a time when a minimum of 354,000 individuals in England are believed to be homeless, and 1.33 m homes are on social housing waiting lists.
This is also a time when tenants and buyers alike talk about a housing crisis in which skyrocketing expenses leave residential or commercial properties out of reach.
The Office for National Statistics' meaning of cost is homes selling for less than 5 times local incomes - which has not held true on average nationally because 2002.
More homes on the market would assist tackle this, too. So why has more not been done to fix, or at least much better address, this contradiction?
The challenge is that there is no single factor for homes being empty.
One aspect is the probate system, which can in many cases take several years, throughout which time the deceased person's house can not be sold. Katie Watson from probate research company Finders International, believes increasing staff numbers could help address a court stockpile.
Then there is the issue that sometimes, councils are unable to locate the owners of empty homes. Jasmine Basran, head of policy and projects at homeless charity Crisis, thinks there is a "lack of meaningful information".
When the BBC approached English councils, the details we were provided about the condition and factor for homes being empty covered only around 13% of their LTE stock.
This means councils are "blind to their possible", argues Ms Basran.
The argument around premium tax rates
The professionals we talked to had their own view on the very best solutions. For Mr Radstone, it is through providing tax relief to buyers, along with ensuring that everybody who secures a mortgage keeps an updated will to avoid probate hold-ups.
Mr Grimshaw, meanwhile, argues that the funds gathered from the premium tax rates might be utilized by councils to start their own loan schemes.
But Mr Cliff argues councils without an empty homes method ought to not be allowed to charge premiums.
Something many of those I talked to were unanimous on, nevertheless, was that the government needs to establish a statutory responsibility for councils to address long-lasting empty homes - and force them to investigate and act.
The previous Conservative government didn't present this - although in March 2024 it did permit councils to double council tax on empty residential or commercial properties after 12 months rather than 2 years.
This belonged to a "long-term prepare for housing" to "assist give local individuals the homes they require", then city government minister Simon Hoare said at the time.
We are yet to see if the new Labour government has taken the recommendation of a statutory duty on board in its housing technique, although Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has actually stated councils will be offered more power to require property managers to lease empty homes.
Meanwhile a representative for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and City government said: "We are identified to fix the housing crisis we have acquired, and we know that having too numerous empty homes in an area can have a considerable effect on regional neighborhoods.
"That's why councils have strong powers to increase council tax on LTEs, and we will reinforce councils' powers to take control of the management of empty homes, with further updates to be provided in due course."
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Back in south-east London, Corina Poore does not totally understand why the plan that worked so well for her - and permitted her to become the homeowner of a ₤ 1m residential or commercial property - isn't doing the very same today.
She thinks it might still be a method of getting young individuals to make empty homes habitable too.
"When you're young you can do these things," states Corina." [There are] individuals out there who would be prepared to do it.
"There are great deals of homes that are nowhere near as bad as mine that probably just require a kitchen and a restroom, and I think it must still be encouraged very intensely."
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