Research by London lettings and estate agent, Benham and Reeves, reveals that there are almost 240,000 vacant homes in England this Christmas which could, if the right authorities would enable it, provide immediate winter shelter for the nation’s homeless community.
As Christmas approaches, the majority of people will be looking forward to spending the festive period at home with their loved ones, but for thousands of people in England, this won’t be possible because they have no current home to speak of.
With so many people sleeping rough this winter, research by Benham & Reeves has revealed that there are 237,340 homes in England that are classed as long-term vacant – properties that have been continuously unoccupied for more than six months.
With an average English house price of £314,278, the estimated market value of these vacant properties sits at £74.6bn.
On a regional level, the largest number of long-term vacant homes are found in the North West where 40,738 properties are sat empty and have been for more than six months. With an average regional house price of £219,005, the combined value of these homes is £8.9bn.
In London, 32,818 homes are vacant. With an average price of £544,113, the value of these unoccupied homes is £17.9bn.
Meanwhile, there are 31,070 vacant homes in the South East which, at an average price of £403,515, are worth a combined £12.5bn.
The smallest number of long-term vacant homes are found in the North East (17,541), followed by the South West (19,946) and East Midlands (20,431).
When analysing the data at local authority level, Benham and Reeves reveals that Birmingham has the most vacant properties with 5,496 empty homes.
This is followed by Liverpool (4,880), County Durham (3,900), Bradford (3,526), and Sheffield (2,838).
Meanwhile, the fewest number of vacant homes are found in Spelthorne, Surrey, where there are just 56 properties, followed by Wyre, Lancashire (82), West Devon (84), Crawley (90), and Bracknell Forest (115).
In terms of total market value, nowhere is the cumulative worth of long-term vacant homes more than in Kensington and Chelsea where 1,539 properties have a combined value of £2.1bn.
Director of Benham and Reeves, Marc von Grundherr, says:
“The number of long-term vacant homes in England is quite extraordinary and fairly evenly spread across the country. The combined value of these homes is, of course, hard to ignore, but it’s more striking to consider what a waste of warmth and shelter they are at a time when so many are going to be sleeping rough this Christmas.
Homeless shelters frequently struggle to meet demand and charities can only provide assistance to a limited number of people each night. Local councils, who somehow have no legal obligation to help even when night temperatures drop below freezing, should be proactively working with landlords and property owners in their area to make these properties temporarily available to house rough sleepers at this time of year when weather conditions pose a genuine threat to life.”
Table shows the number of long-term vacant (over six months) homes in England, alongside their estimated cumulative value
Location
Est long term vacant dwellings – latest 2021
AveHP – Sep 2022
Est value of long term vacant dwellings
North West
40,738
£219,005
£8,921,835,973
London
32,818
£544,113
£17,856,705,222
South East
31,070
£403,515
£12,537,216,000
Yorkshire and The Humber
27,001
£212,593
£5,740,235,943
West Midlands Region
25,726
£253,864
£6,530,902,602
East of England
22,069
£362,197
£7,993,323,537
East Midlands
20,431
£252,982
£5,168,672,751
South West
19,946
£336,583
£6,713,492,289
North East
17,541
£163,768
£2,872,656,615
England
237,340
£314,278
£74,590,739,193
Table shows English locations where long-term vacant properties have the highest cumulative value
Location
Est long term vacant dwellings – latest 2021
AveHP – Sep 2022
Est value of long term vacant dwellings
Kensington and Chelsea
1,539
£1,393,453
£2,144,523,665
Southwark
2,705
£564,992
£1,528,303,572
Birmingham
5,496
£231,659
£1,273,195,612
Hackney
1,742
£652,315
£1,136,333,459
Newham
2,246
£421,436
£946,545,215
Buckinghamshire
1,914
£489,334
£936,584,779
Barnet
1,519
£603,690
£917,004,907
Liverpool
4,880
£184,642
£901,053,858
Haringey
1,429
£620,516
£886,717,343
Lambeth
1,563
£561,556
£877,712,432
Table shows English locations where long-term vacant properties have the lowest cumulative value
Location
Est long term vacant dwellings – latest 2021
AveHP – Sep 2022
Est value of long term vacant dwellings
Wyre
82
£196,516
£16,114,305
Spelthorne
56
£426,541
£23,886,303
West Devon
84
£342,765
£28,792,265
Crawley
90
£332,542
£29,928,820
Oadby and Wigston
141
£277,750
£39,162,814
Wyre Forest
158
£256,821
£40,577,772
Bracknell Forest
115
£407,137
£46,820,719
Ribble Valley
180
£278,997
£50,219,457
Melton
180
£296,546
£53,378,343
Rutland
138
£391,134
£53,976,492
Table shows English locations where there are the most long-term vacant properties
Location
Est long term vacant dwellings – latest 2021
AveHP – Sep 2022
Est value of long term vacant dwellings
Birmingham
5,496
£231,659
£1,273,195,612
Liverpool
4,880
£184,642
£901,053,858
County Durham
3,900
£133,418
£520,328,951
Bradford
3,526
£179,054
£631,343,018
Sheffield
2,838
£217,336
£616,800,879
Southwark
2,705
£564,992
£1,528,303,572
Leeds
2,693
£241,113
£649,318,236
Cornwall
2,289
£322,525
£738,260,018
Kirklees
2,247
£194,583
£437,227,055
Newham
2,246
£421,436
£946,545,215
Table shows English locations where there are the fewst long-term vacant properties
Location
Est long term vacant dwellings – latest 2021
AveHP – Sep 2022
Est value of long term vacant dwellings
Spelthorne
56
£426,541
£23,886,303
Wyre
82
£196,516
£16,114,305
West Devon
84
£342,765
£28,792,265
Crawley
90
£332,542
£29,928,820
Bracknell Forest
115
£407,137
£46,820,719
Chichester
128
£485,079
£62,090,109
Rutland
138
£391,134
£53,976,492
Oadby and Wigston
141
£277,750
£39,162,814
South Hams
147
£430,177
£63,235,972
Wyre Forest
158
£256,821
£40,577,772
House price data sourced from UK House Price Index Number of long-term vacant properties data sourced from gov.uk
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About the Author
Established in 1958, Benham and Reeves is one of London’s oldest, independently owned property lettings and sales agents. With specialism in residential sales, corporate lettings and property management in prime areas of London, the company operates from 19 prominently located branches and 11 international offices.