The empty homes challenge

Latest

Community Action on Empty Homes - Developing the new AEH Community Toolkit:

Latest update on the Community Action on the Empty Homes Toolkit we’re developing for communities and local authorities to use together by Brighid Carey who is leading on this project
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.
Pretty Vacant: Our latest report on London's housing crisis

New report reveals why the next 500 high rise towers won’t end London’s housing crisis and the Government action needed.
Pretty Vacant

Our new report on why the next 500 high-rise towers in London won't end the capitals's housing crisis. And how they will make it worse.

Pretty Vacant

Our new report on why the next 500 high-rise towers in London won't end the capitals's housing crisis. And how they will make it worse.
What we do

Action on Empty Homes campaigns for empty homes to be brought into use for people in housing need. We raise awareness, campaign for policy change, provide advice and research and develop ideas to help bring empty homes into use
Publications and Research

We produce four types of publications: Campaign publications advocating policy responses to end the waste of empty homes Research and analysis of the issue including Empty Homes in England, the only comprehensive annual analysis of official data Reports on active programmes to bring empty homes into use Practical toolkits to support those working in the field
Empty Homes England 2019 is available now

Our new annual report on the state of the empty homes problem in England reports the second consecutive annual increase in numbers to over 216,000 and the fastest rise in a decade
Meet the team

Our staff team and Board of Trustees work closely together to ensure that Action on Empty Homes campaigns for change in the most effective way.
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.
Why empty homes matter

There are over 216,000 homes long-term empty when England needs over 300,000 additional homes each year. Bringing long-term empty homes back into use will also help rebuild neighbourhoods and make environmental sense.
Homes Without Residents - new report

Our London housing project looks at 'buy to leave' and the impact of wealth investment in residential property. Raising critical questions over 100,000 London homes sucked out of residential supply, the role of Airbnb and so-called 'second homes'. Includes international survey of policy responses.
Estimating ‘buy to leave’ in Kensington & Chelsea

Data from the latest Council Taxbase reveals Kensington & Chelsea has the highest proportion of long-term empty homes in London. Furthermore, 10% of the borough's homes are classed as 'second homes'. Chujan Sivathasan uses data from Jonathan Bourne at UCL and draws on Dr Rex Atkinson's work on 'Anchoring Wealth: The grounded impact of international wealth chains on housing markets in London'
National Empty Homes Week 2019 Sept 23rd - 29th

This year the housing crisis has intensified as long-term empty homes numbers rose by nearly 11,000 to over 216,000 focusing public attention on the problem