This dataset brings together figures on vacant dwellings in England at local authority district level drawn from several separately published sources. Users of the data are advised to read the information below about those sources before proceeding. The latest data available for this release is from 2023 and it was last updated in February 2024.
Please refer to the statistical release that accompanies each source for further information. Links to these are given in the notes below.
All vacant properties (all tenures)
Source: council tax base (CTB) - statistical release:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/council-taxbase-statistics
1. Data for council tax base purposes is taken in October, but the actual date and can vary slightly from year to year.
2. Up until April 2013 dwellings undergoing major structural repairs for up to 12 months and those vacant for less than 6 months were eligible for a council tax exemption (Class A and C respectively). In April 2013 these exemptions were replaced with a new flexible discount which applied to all empty properties. Local authorities are now entitled to apply any level of discount from 0% to 100% to all empty properties. Where local authorities award zero discounts for empty properties there is less incentive for owners to report their property as empty. This could have led to some under reporting of some empty properties.
All long-term vacant properties (all tenures)
Source: council tax base (CTB) - statistical release:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/council-taxbase-statistics
1. Data for council tax base purposes taken in October, but the actual date and can vary slightly from year to year.
2. From 2004 to 2012, Long-term empty homes are those dwellings which have been unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for over six months. Up until April 2013 local authorities could use their discretion to award these dwellings a discount of between 0% and 50%. Since April 2013 Local authorities can now set that level of discount anywhere between 0% and 100% and can also charge a premium of up to 50% on those properties which have been empty for more than 2 years.
Local authority vacant properties
Source: Prior to 2012, the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA), from 2012, the Local Authority Housing Statistics (LAHS) return - statistical release: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-communities-and-local-government/series/local-authority-housing-data. Data as at 1 April each year.
1. Information is reported on the location of local authority vacant dwellings, rather than local authority ownership.
2. Where a local authority has become a Large Scale Voluntary Transfer (LSVT) authority its stock, and therefore the number of vacant dwellings, will reduce to zero or a small number.
3. Where one or more local authorities did not provide data, figures are estimated. Prior to 2012, such estimates are not shown at the local authority level but are included in regional and national totals, so these totals may not equal the sum of the district level figures shown. From 2012, these estimates are shown at all levels.
4. The guidance notes which accompanied the data collection for 2014, and which give details on what should be included in the data, can be found at the following link https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/completing-local-authority-housing-statistics-2013-to-2014-guidance-notes
Private Registered Provider (housing association) vacant properties (general needs stock only)
Source: Prior to 2012, the Tenant Services Authority's Regulatory and Statistical Return (RSR), from 2012 the Homes and Communities Agency's Statistical Data return (SDR) - statistical release can be found on the Homes and Communities Agency's website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistical-data-return-statistical-releases. Data as at 31 March each year.
1. The figures in this table relate only to general needs self contained social and affordable rent housing owned by Private Registered Providers (PRPs). Supported housing and/or housing for older people rental stock, which represents just over 15% of all PRP rental stock in 2014, is excluded. This is because the RSR and SDR collect most information by PRP rather than by geographic area. Only a subset of information is broken down by geographic area and this includes the number of vacant units of general needs self-contained stock but not the number of vacant units of supported housing or housing for older people. Also, stock belonging to small PRPs (those with fewer than 1,000 units) is excluded from this table as these PRPs are not asked to provide information on how many of their vacant stock are available for letting. Small PRPs owned almost 5% of the PRP stock in 2013.
Private Registered Provider (housing association) long-term vacant properties (general needs stock only)
Source: Prior to 2012, the Tenant Services Authority's Regulatory and Statistical Return (RSR), from 2012 the Homes and Communities Agency's Statistical Data return (SDR) - statistical release can be found on the Homes and Communities Agency's website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistical-data-return-statistical-releases. Data as at 31 March each year.
1. The figures in this table relate only to general needs self contained social rent housing housing owned by Private Registered Providers (PRPs). Supported housing and/or housing for older people rental stock, which represents just over 15% of all PRP rental stock in 2014, is excluded. This is because the RSR and SDR collect most information by PRP rather than by geographic area. Only a subset of information is broken down by geographic area and this includes the number of vacant units of general needs self-contained stock but not the number of vacant units of supported housing or housing for older people. Also, stock belonging to small PRPs (those with fewer than 1,000 units) is excluded from this table as these PRPs are not asked to provide information on how many of their vacant stock are available for letting. Small PRPs owned almost 5% of the PRP stock in 2014.
2. Long-term empty housing association-owned homes are those dwellings which are not available for immediate letting, perhaps because they are awaiting essential repairs, etc. Such cases are sometimes referred to as "non-management vacants".
Other public sector vacants
Source: Prior to 2012, the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA), from 2012, the Local Authority Housing Statistics (LAHS) return - statistical release: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-communities-and-local-government/series/local-authority-housing-data. Data as at 1 April each year.
1. Public sector vacant dwellings include dwellings owned by government departments and other public sector agencies (e.g. regional health authorities, Ministry of Defence, the Forestry Commission and county councils).
2. Where one or more local authorities did not provide data, figures are estimated. Prior to 2012, such estimates are not shown at the local authority level but are included in regional and national totals, so these totals may not equal the sum of the district level figures shown. From 2012, these estimates are shown at all levels.
3. The guidance notes which accompanied the data collection for 2014, and which give details on what should be included in the data, can be found at the following link. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/completing-local-authority-housing-statistics-2013-to-2014-guidance-notes
Frequency: Calendar Year
