About the Empty Homes Network

Our strapline is "Supporting the people who bring empty property back into use for housing". That sums it up.

Background

The Empty Homes Network (EHN) is the successor to the National Association of Empty Property Practitioners (NAEPP). NAEPP was established in May 2001 to support people involved in delivering empty property strategies. It was launched by empty property practitioners with the support of government ministers, the Housing Corporation and the Empty Homes Agency.

Who are ‘Empty Property Practitioners’?

You don't have to be a dedicated Empty Homes or Empty Property Officer to belong to the Empty Homes Network. A high proportion of our local authority members are either Housing Enabling / Housing Strategy Officers or Private Sector Environmental Health Officers, depending on who leads on empty property work. We also have members who work for self-help housing organisations, Registered Social Landlords and regeneration partnerships and in the private sector. The main criterion is that you are involved in tackling empty property as a part of your job.

The Aims of EHN

Our constitution defines the aims of the organisation as follows:

  1. to foster mutual support and understanding amongst Empty Property Practitioners;

  2. to raise the status and profile of Empty Property Practitioners

  3. to promote the value of the dedicated Empty Property Practitioner;

  4. to promote, support and facilitate the development of professional standards and skills amongst Empty Property Practitioners;

  5. to promote policies and practices which offer effective responses to the challenges presented by empty property.

Support for Practitioners

Our website is packed with useful information for practitioners. Members are notified by email as new content is added. We post stories about current developments in the empty homes field and links to resources of many kinds.

In addition, we produce our own guidance and practitioner briefings on a range of key topics. Many are available only to paying members but some are accessible to anyone, such as our Good Practice Standards for Local Authority Empty Homes Initiatives.

Our Conferences are well-recognised as excellent value for money.