Empty Homes Network

While this August 2015 policy paper doesn't propose a coherent empty homes strategy, the issue does at least feature in a number of sections. In Landbanking and Speculative Planning Applications the practical conclusion is that: With home ownership becoming increasingly unattainable for so many, rents spiralling out of control and levels homelessness rapidly increasing, working with local authorities more should be done to bring existing housing stock back into use. The section on Buy-to-leave: Many other cities around the world have taken steps to ensure homes go to people who live and work in the city rather than to people who see the homes as assets for financial peculation. Highly populated cities like Hong Kong and Singapore have taken steps to discourage overseas buyers.

Whilst ending this would by no means solve our housing crisis, it would play a part of a broader approach. Local authorities could be given the option of levying higher council tax rates or a new tax on properties left empty. Additionally we could look at banning the ownership of property by non-UK based entities or by companies and offshore trusts altogether. The policy paper also identifies the connection between local economies and empty housing, in a section entitled Regional Economic Strategies in In many areas of the country, the housing crisis is much less acute and there are large numbers of vacant properties or swathes of residential land that has lain undeveloped for many years. The demand for housing is closely correlated with the supply of jobs... By rebalancing our economy and investment throughout the UK we can ensure that all parts of the country provide decent work and that housing is utilised as efficiently as possible. The page from which the policy document is downloadable does not mention empty homes.

Downloadable PDF file (106KB)

Information Library

Jeremy Corbyn Housing Policy Document