The Housing Committee met to discuss the significant increase in empty homes across London, with a particular focus on the drivers behind this trend and potential policy interventions. Key discussions revolved around the financialisation of the housing market, the impact of austerity on local authorities' capacity to address empty homes, and the limitations of current data collection methods.

Empty Homes in London

The committee heard that the number of empty homes in London had increased by 81% since 2016, reaching 105,138 in 2025. Dr Jonathan Bourne, Honorary Research Fellow at University College London's Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, explained that London's housing market is increasingly functioning as a financialised commodity market for property, attracting significant external investment due to its global economic standing and lifestyle benefits. This contrasts with other parts of England and Wales, where empty homes are more prevalent in deprived areas. In London, however, empty homes are concentrated in the least affordable, most expensive areas.

While privately owned empty homes saw a substantial increase, local authority empty homes also rose by approximately 60% over the same period, though at a lower rate than private properties. Wells Chomutare, Managing Director of South London Peabody, noted that for housing associations, most vacant properties are temporary, occurring between tenancies, and that the G15 group of housing associations saw a 16% reduction in rolling empty homes last year due to a focus on rapid turnaround.

Concerns were raised about the accuracy of official data on empty homes, with Dr Bourne highlighting that definitions can be unclear and granularity is lacking. He suggested that council tax data, if properly analysed at address level, could provide more detailed insights. Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development, acknowledged the data limitations and suggested that the Committee might explore this further in its reports.

Drivers of Empty Homes

Several factors were identified as contributing to the rise in empty homes:

• Financialisation and Investment: Dr Bourne and Tom Copley discussed how London's housing is attractive for investment, leading to properties being bought and left empty, sometimes referred to as buy-to-leave. This is particularly evident in luxury new-build developments, which are often priced significantly higher than average London properties and may be purchased by overseas investors.
• Austerity and Local Authority Capacity: Tom Copley noted that austerity measures in the 2010s likely slowed down councils' ability to refurbish their own stock and made it harder to use powers like Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMOs).
• Inheritance and Probate Delays: Yus Nordin, Empty Homes Officer for Lewisham Council, and Joyce Amoateng, Empty Homes Coordinator for Camden Council, highlighted inheritance as a significant factor, with properties remaining empty due to family disputes, lack of wills, or the lengthy and costly process of obtaining probate.
• Planning System and Development Practices: Yus Nordin pointed out that planning legislation often lacks timeframes for completing new builds, allowing developers to leave properties empty for extended periods. Andrew Boff AM questioned whether the London Plan's encouragement of tower blocks, which increases land value, contributes to empty homes by incentivising investment-attractive but unaffordable properties.
• Lack of Resources for Councils: Evelyn Williams, Empty Homes Officer for Waltham Forest Council, and Yus Nordin highlighted that many boroughs lack dedicated, well-resourced empty homes teams, hindering their ability to effectively track, monitor, and enforce against empty properties. The cost of legal processes, such as compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) and enforced sales, also presents a barrier.

Policy Interventions and Solutions

The committee discussed various policy interventions and potential solutions:

• Increased Council Tax Premiums: While council tax premiums on empty homes have been introduced, Dr Bourne suggested that a £500 premium is insignificant compared to the value of properties in areas like Kensington and Chelsea. He referenced Vancouver's 1% empty homes tax as a potentially more impactful measure, though acknowledged challenges in implementing such a system in the UK due to a lack of a national identifier for official addresses.
• Acquisition and Conversion Programmes: Tom Copley mentioned the Mayor's Council Homes Acquisition Programme (CHAP) and Right to Buy Back, which have enabled councils to acquire around 2,400 homes, though data on how many were previously empty is not recorded. The upcoming London Social and Affordable Homes Programme (LSAHP) also allows for the acquisition of empty homes. Sam Bloomer of Shelter emphasised the importance of acquiring and converting empty homes into social housing, citing research suggesting this can be cost-effective and faster than new build.
• Strengthening EDMOs: Tom Copley stated that the Government has committed to changing EDMO regulations, which currently require an anti-social behaviour element to be present.
• Improved Data Collection: Dr Jonathan Bourne stressed the need for better, more granular data on empty homes, advocating for a common data framework to support evidence-based policy.
• Targeted Funding and Support: Evelyn Williams highlighted the success of a previous Empty Homes Grant scheme in Lambeth, which allowed people in social housing to occupy empty properties for five years. Yus Nordin suggested the Mayor could provide funding for schemes similar to Kent's No Use Empty initiative, offering interest-free loans for refurbishment.
• Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs): Sam Bloomer argued for a presumption in favour of local authorities using CPOs for long-term empty homes, citing successful examples in Scotland. However, concerns were raised about the potential tension between CPOs and property rights.
• Homes Off The Streets Programme: Tom Copley announced plans to launch this programme by Q4 2026/27, aiming to bring empty social rented properties back into use as move-on accommodation for former rough sleepers.

The committee concluded that while there is no single solution, a multi-faceted approach involving enhanced data collection, stronger enforcement powers, targeted funding, and a greater focus on social and affordable housing provision is needed to address the growing problem of empty homes in London.