7 April 2025, 17:13

By Kristian Niemietz

Given the severity of Britain’s housing crisis, it is not surprising that people are outraged when they hear about vacant properties. It just feels wrong to leave a property empty and unused when so many other people are struggling to find a place to stay.

Tapping into that sentiment, Westminster City Council now wants additional powers so that they can take over empty homes. But if we look at the numbers, it quickly becomes clear that this is a complete non-issue.

For a start, England already has one of the lowest rates of vacant housing in the developed world. The vacancy rate is never zero: there is no country in the world where every single dwelling is occupied all the time. But Britain already comes closer than most.

About 2.7% of the English........

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