• A coalition of 25 cross-sector organisations - including Resonance, Shelter, Big Issue, and Refuge - sign open letter to Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook
• Letter demands a National Empty Homes Strategy to address the housing shorting and temporary accommodation crisis
• Proposals include a national acquisition fund, council tax ringfencing, and stamp duty incentives
   

Resonance, alongside the Empty Homes Network, has convened a coalition of 25 housing charities, social investors, and local government leaders to call on the government to urgently implement a national strategy to bring England’s 300,000+ empty homes back into use.

In an open letter addressed to Matthew Pennycook MP, Minister of State for Housing, the group highlights a “missed opportunity” to tackle the housing crisis. While the government pursues its target of building 1.5 million new homes, the coalition argues that refurbishing the 309,000 properties currently classed as long-term empty is one of the quickest and most cost-effective ways to increase housing supply.

The letter, signed by leaders from 25 organisations including The Empty Homes Network, Resonance, Shelter, Big Issue, Refuge, and Women’s Aid, outlines how reviving existing stock can provide settled housing for the most vulnerable, including families experiencing homelessness and survivors of domestic abuse, while stimulating employment and contributing to Net Zero objectives.

Daniel Brewer, CEO of Resonance, said: “The quickest and most sustainable way to house those in need is to unlock the potential of the buildings we already have. By implementing a National Empty Homes Strategy, the government can create a pathway for social investment to flow into local communities, de-risking the refurbishment of empty stock and creating settled, affordable housing at a fraction of the cost, and carbon footprint, of new builds. By creating the right policy framework now we have the ability to provide a solution to a problem faced by many across the nation.”

Adam Cliff, Secretary of the Empty Homes Network, added: “With over a million empty homes - over 300,000 of those classed as long term empty - while thousands of families remain trapped in unsuitable temporary accommodation, we are overlooking a ready-made solution to the housing crisis. We’re asking the government to stop looking the other way and give local councils the funding and authority they need to turn these properties back into real homes for local people.”

The coalition’s proposed National Empty Homes Strategy includes several key recommendations:

• A fully-funded local authority duty to investigate and act on long-term empty home complaints.
• National financial initiatives, including a loan scheme and a national acquisition fund.
• Ringfencing Council Tax Premium revenue specifically for local housing initiatives.
• Tax incentives, such as reducing stamp duty for purchasers who use properties to provide social housing or pathways out of temporary accommodation.

The group warns that with local authorities facing unprecedented financial pressure from temporary accommodation costs, the government must look beyond just new builds and treat existing empty stock as a vital national asset.

Here's the letter to the Housing Minister:

Dear Matthew Pennycook MP,

We collectively call on government to create a national strategy to bring empty homes back into use.

With unaffordable rents, rising homelessness, record levels of temporary accommodation use and long waits for social housing, more than a million properties in England stand unoccupied, with over 309,000 classed as long-term empty. Each empty home represents a missed opportunitiy to provide settled housing, revitalise communities, and make efficient use of existing stock, whilst the government continues to work towards its target of building 1.5m new homes.

Giving empty buildings a new lease of life is one of the quickest, greenest and most cost-effective ways to increase housing supply. Refurbishing existing properties costs less than building new, stimulates employment, and contributes directly to Net Zero objectives. It can also address the country’s social rent housing shortfall and meet the need of society’s most vulnerable people, such people with disabilities, families experiencing homelessness, and survivors of domestic abuse.

Complementing new build construction, bringing a fraction of long-term empty properties back into use would deliver thousands of homes and regenerate neighbourhoods. Everybody wins.

With local authorities facing increased housing challenges, our recommendation is the creation of a new, standalone national empty homes strategy, including:

• A fully-funded local authority duty to investigate and act on long-term empty homes complaints
• National initiatives, such as a loan scheme, a national acquisition fund, and an enforcement fund

• Replacing the New Homes Bonus system with rewards for successful empty homes interventions
• Ringfencing Council Tax Premium revenue for local housing initiatives

• Developing empty homes-specific enforcement powers
• Reducing stamp duty for purchasers, where properties are used to meet local demand for social housing, and who provide homes for those on a pathway out of temporary accommodation

We urge you to champion this agenda in Parliament, to ensure that no property stands empty. Together, we can turn empty buildings into homes, and build a fairer, more sustainable housing system.

Signed,

Adam Cliff
Secretary, Empty Homes Network

Daniel Brewer
CEO, Resonance

Lord Bird
Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Big Issue

Sarah Elliot
CEO, Shelter

Gemma Sherrington
CEO, Refuge

Farah Nazeer
CEO, Women’s Aid

Gemma Bourne
Managing Director - Head of Property, Better Society Capital

Rosie Phillips
CEO, DHI (Developing Health and Independence)

Rosie Cade
Founder, Rising Tide

Helen Berresford
Director of Engagaement, Nacro

Trystan Jones
CEO, Community Impact Initiative

Maria José Anitua Trevijano
CEO, Empty Homes Collaborative

Christopher Watkins
Leader, Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council

Neil Fraser
Partner, Fraser & Fraser

Muhammad Uddin
Business Development Manager, Finders International

Simon Taylor
Founder, Empty Property Hunters

Nick Kalms
Founder, YouSpotProperty

Russell Taylor
Founder, Probate.Auction

Oliver Prior
Director, Auction House

Cllr Paul King, No Use Empty: Kent

Ben Tibbetts
CEO, Land Attic

Jo Widdop
Operations Manager, The Empty Homes Doctor

Ben Radstone
Founder, Hyjan Investments

Aidan Hutchings
Managing Director, Estate Research

Ben Brown
Partner, Taylor Emmett