The latest government figures suggest the housing market is under severe strain, with campaigners warning that empty homes are becoming an increasingly urgent part of the crisis. New analysis by Action on Empty Homes shows that more than 300,000 homes across England are now classed as long-term empty, and well over one million properties in total are currently sitting unused.
The organisation reviewed the Government’s New Council Taxbase 2025 data and found that long-term vacancies have risen sharply over the past year. According to the figures, there are 40,000 more long-term empty homes than last year, marking a rise of around 14 per cent.
This increase follows years of limited government support for bringing unused homes back into service. Since the end of the Government’s Empty Homes Programme in 2016, long-term vacancies have grown by around 50 per cent. London alone has seen a dramatic escalation, with numbers surging by 138 per cent in less than ten years.
As a result, London now has 47,287 long-term empty homes, and more than 142,000 properties that are vacant overall. These figures highlight just how significant the issue has become in some of the country’s most pressured housing markets.
Some areas have been hit especially hard. Wyre in the North West and Wandsworth in London recorded some of the steepest increases, both approaching a 400 per cent rise. Hillingdon and Chichester also saw jumps of more than 100 per cent, according to the analysis.
Across England, the total number of homes not in residential use now stands at 1,022,433. This includes second homes that are not being lived in, but excludes commercial holiday lets. Campaigners argue the numbers paint a clear picture of a housing system in deep distress.
Chris Bailey, national campaign manager at Action on Empty Homes, said the scale of unused housing is “an opportunity staring the Government in the face”. He stressed that while more than a million homes sit empty each night, more than 130,000 families are stuck in temporary accommodation and facing overcrowding, instability and disruption to everyday life.
Bailey also raised concerns about the belief that private housebuilders alone can resolve the housing crisis. He argued that the country urgently needs genuinely affordable and secure homes, particularly social and council housing. Yet Government changes have allowed developers in London to reduce the number of affordable homes they deliver.
To address this, Bailey called for empty homes to be brought back into use as part of a wider strategy to boost the supply of social housing. He said that relying solely on new developments will not solve the crisis, especially when so many existing homes are being left vacant.
He also criticised ongoing public spending on poor-quality rental accommodation, arguing that the money would be better spent on refurbishing empty properties for households who urgently need stable housing. He said it is “ridiculous” that so much suitable housing already exists but remains unused.
Bailey added that homeless families cannot afford to wait a decade for new communities to be built, especially when many large new-build schemes consist of high-end homes that will never meet the needs of local people. Instead, he emphasised the importance of delivering homes within existing communities where people already live and work.
The problem is not limited to England. Research from Habitat for Humanity GB shows that Scotland has seen an 18 per cent rise in empty council homes, while Wales has experienced a much larger 44 per cent increase. These figures underline that the challenge is national rather than regional.
The charity also found that many empty homes are located near jobs and transport links, making them ideal candidates for refurbishment. Retrofits could support local workers, reduce homelessness and make better use of existing infrastructure.
Henrietta Blackmore, national director of the Empty Homes Network at Habitat for Humanity GB, said empty properties are not the full answer to the housing crisis but should play a significant part. She explained that councils have the authority to make better use of their own assets and should prioritise turning vacant buildings into social homes.
Blackmore noted that councils face enormous financial pressures and spend significant amounts on crisis responses when people cannot access secure accommodation. Investing in proper housing now, she said, reduces long-term costs and improves outcomes for vulnerable families.
As she put it, tackling wider social issues starts with ensuring people have a safe and stable home. She emphasised that thousands of empty buildings could be used to help meet this need, but only if local authorities and the Government rethink how they approach social housing delivery.
Her message was clear: while empty homes are not a new issue, the scale of unused property alongside a deepening housing crisis shows it is time for decisive action. Blackmore said it is essential for policymakers to adopt fresh ideas and practical steps to bring more homes back into use, strengthening the country’s social housing stock.
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