Three year emergency brake would prevent rents rising above CPI, wage growth or 2% – whichever is lowest Zack Polanski will today [2 Oct] unveil the Green Party’s plan for an emergency brake on private rents to put an end to the ‘fear and uncertainty’ plaguing renters and tackle the runaway rents which have outstripped […]
To be classed as ‘long-term empty’ a home has to be liable for council tax and to have been unfurnished and not lived in for over 6 months. This figure is increasing all the time, but as at October 2025, it was 303,143 - a rise of 14% on 2024 and over 50% up on 2016 - the year after the last national Empty Homes Programme ended.
Some may be used as Airbnb type short lets, although many of these now pay business rates and do not appear on the Council Taxbase at all. As at October 2025, there were over 268,000 of these so-called ‘second homes’.
Am I understanding that right as a minimum of 268k in this category? As ther rest are in Holiday Let’s and
NONE of these are included in our total vacancy figure of 1,022,433 for 2025.
That’s a good source, thank you for that. I just used the top one of my search.
Action on empty homes has breakdowns:
Long-term empty homes
To be classed as ‘long-term empty’ a home has to be liable for council tax and to have been unfurnished and not lived in for over 6 months. This figure is increasing all the time, but as at October 2025, it was 303,143 - a rise of 14% on 2024 and over 50% up on 2016 - the year after the last national Empty Homes Programme ended.
More here: https://www.actiononemptyhomes.org/facts-and-figures
Under second homes:
Am I understanding that right as a minimum of 268k in this category? As ther rest are in Holiday Let’s and
That’s a good source, thank you for that. I just used the top one of my search.