Our demonstration projects

Action on Empty Homes has a major project to spread community-based regeneration in areas with high levels of empty homes.

We are following six demonstration projects where community-based organisations are bringing empty homes into use.

The six demonstration projects are:

Cultures CIC working in Stockton on Tees - see more here
East Midlands CLH working in the Sincil Bank area of Lincoln - see more here
Giroscope Ltd working in Kingston upon Hull - see more here
Groundwork Greater Manchester working in Rochdale - see more here
Methodist Action North West working in Darwen, Lancashire - see more here
North Ormesby CLT working in Middlesbrough - see more here

We want to understand what works, as well as the challenges they face.

We aim to share their experiences, to encourage other organisations and areas to look at how community-based regeneration could work in their neighbourhoods.

You can read or download both the initial report on this project and the concluding report 'Community Action on Empty Homes' published on May 2nd 2019. This practical report includes recommendations and reviews learning from the full three-year research project, during which we followed the work of the six case study projects. Just click the document images below to view and download the reports as pdfs:

Film from HuffPost:

For an alternative look at how community-led organisations can bring empty homes back to use, with benefits for the whole community, see this recent HuffPost film featuring the great work of Canopy Housing in Leeds, creating homes from empty homes. The film also features a look at the wider picture from Action on Empty Homes, which covers the issues which unite empty homes in high and lower value markets around the country: https://bit.ly/2RHCWGY

For local authority officers working on empty homes:

Our Legal Toolkit looks summarises the powers and solutions available to local council officers taking enforcement action against homes left empty, it includes case studies to show how particular enforcement powers operate under current legislation, it is available for free download, here: 'Legal Toolkit: How to use the law to best effect to get empty homes back into use: a short guide on the legal options available to local authorities'

Latest

Job Advert: Project Support Officer at Action on Empty Homes Interested in housing and the need for a retrofit revolution?

Action on Empty Homes is looking for a part-time Project Support Officer to work for a minimum of 10 months on a project to investigate the feasibility of retrofitting long-term empty homes to help meet the climate challenge in three local authority areas. If the project is successful, then a further three-year initiative may follow. Deadline 12 June 11:59pm Start: August 2022 Salary: £30,000 plus pension pro-rata 17.5 hours per week
Government Proposes New Empty Homes and Second Homes Tax Powers - but is taxation enough?

The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill published 11th May offers councils new powers to increase tax on empties after a year and double Council Tax on unused 'second homes'. But is this enough?
Our Pretty Vacant Manchester report asks is Manchester Building 'The Wrong Housing'

Action on Empty Homes new report supported by the Evan Cornish Foundation reports on work to examine vacancy levels and housing policy in Manchester and asks questions about the City's 'hidden empties', its persistently high level of so-called 'second homes' and the impact of Airbnb on access to housing.
Empty Homes Week 2022 showed the need for action and investment

Across the country Empty Homes Week 2022 saw councils showcase innovation as national voices called on Government to invest in the wasted opportunity empty homes represent - in order to expand housing supply and meet NetZero and energy price-rise challenges.

How do I find the owner of an abandoned property?

Action on Empty Homes does not have the capacity to assist individuals or property developers in locating the owners of individual empty properties, but we can access expert advice for you and there are a number of ways in which the owner may be located, these are listed here:
Facts and figures

Government publish data on vacant dwellings for each local authority and for England as a whole. Action on Empty Homes publishes the most authoritative guide to empty homes data and each year we analyse the official data on long-term empty homes, producing the only comprehensive analysis of this data.
Community Action on Empty Homes Toolkit

Our new Toolkit is designed to encourage partnerships between local councils and communities to bring empty homes back into use, to meet local housing needs.
National Empty Homes Week 2021 starts with call for action on massive rise in empties

National Empty Homes Week 15 – 21 Feb: Action on Empty Homes calls for Government action on escalating numbers of long-term empties . Numbers rose in 9 out of ten council areas. The 42,540 rise in 2020 was the fourth successive annual rise in numbers, but larger than the previous three years’ rises combined.
Massive 20% rise in empty homes up over 42,000 to 268,385 while 100,000 families are stuck in Temporary Accommodation

Government data released today shows a massive year on year rise of over 42,000 to a total of 268,385 long-term empty homes in England, as nearly 100,000 families languish in temporary accommodation. This is the biggest rise since current records began.
October 9th 2021 Day of Action - We are in a climate, health and housing emergency!

On Saturday 9th October 2021 the Campaign Against Empty Homes, a coalition Action on Empty Homes is part of, held a national Day of Action to highlight the waste of empty homes across England. You can watch it on Youtube here: https://youtu.be/JpnSAtEDZS4
London empty homes mapped

An interactive map showing London's empty homes by Borough alongside the costs of accommodation for homeless Londoners
Current Projects

From our new toolkit for community-led empty homes projects to work tackling wealth investor ‘buy to leave’ and the Global Empty Homes Network; and a national coalition calling on Government to invest to save.
Why empty homes matter

There are over 238,000 homes long-term empty when over 100,000 families languish in insecure and unsuitable Temporary Accommodation at a cost of over £1billion a year. Bringing long-term empty homes back into use helps rebuild neighbourhoods and makes environmental sense.
The solutions

We believe in community-led action to tackle empty homes, encouraged by active local authorities to support grassroots initiatives, underpinned by a government investment strategy to bring long-term empties back into use.