Report of public meeting: Regulating Airbnb - approaches from Berlin, Barcelona, and Amsterdam

On 23 February 2022 Action on Empty Homes hosted our Regulating Airbnb webinar. We invited presenters from Berlin, Barcelona, and Amsterdam – cities which have taken action in the past to mitigate Airbnb’s impact on the private rental market – to explore what strategies might be adopted here in the UK Read more

Council's need better powers to act on empties - why it is time for a 'no fault' EDMO

When Empty Dwelling Management Orders were introduced the powers they offered were curtailed, they are now used less than envisaged and councils are calling for reform Read more

Communities can build back better

Brighid Carey calls for dedicated funding to support communities to create high quality, well-insulated, affordable homes from long-term empty homes Read more

Spain leads the way yet again on empty homes policy

Frank Gavurin reports on more action on empty homes in Spain as local government in Valencia boosts social housing supply at the expense of Vulture fund Cerberus and the Catalan Government ups its game on expropriations Read more

Radical shift in empty homes policy in Spain's Balearics

Frank Gavurin argues that the Balearic Islands may be showing us what a progressive use of existing housing stock looks like Read more

Turning Empty Houses into Homes - Council action in Central Bedfordshire

Turning Empty Houses into Homes with Central Bedfordshire Council’s Senior Technical Officer Janice Edmond A look at Local Council Action and Powers in Action or National Empty Homes Week from EDMOs to CPO... Read more

We can’t avoid talking about corruption and the opacity of ownership

If we want to talk about the housing affordability crisis in global cities, then we can’t avoid talking about corruption and the opacity of ownership as well. Frank Gavurin looks at dark towers and dirty money. Read more

Looking for the empty homes in Bromley

A supporter of our campaign to bring empties back into use has been examining the evidence on his doorstep in Bromley Read more

Pretty Vacant: The 500 hi-rise towers that won't solve London's housing crisis

Why London has to stop building the wrong housing. All you need to know about what is wrong with the development model that locks Londoners out of housing. Read more

Do Barcelona and Amsterdam have the answer to Airbnbification? And will Government listen to Conservative-led Councils

Airbnbification -- the process by which short-term Airbnb rentals overtake the housing market - has been linked to the depletion of local housing stocks, increased home prices, gentrification, and exclusionary displacement; the cumulative effects of which can disrupt entire communities and increase precarity among community members. Read more

Worried about the impact of wealth investment on housing in the UK? Look North!

2021 was not a let-down for everyone. For property investors, sky-rocketing house prices created an incredible opportunity for profits. With the suspension of the stamp-duty tax resulting in as much as a 10% rise in house prices one property group went as far as to call 2021 ‘exceptional’. Savvy investors are no longer looking at London, they are going North. Read more