Empty property

This page highlights some of the current parliamentary material available on empty property. This includes select committee reports, briefing papers on current legislation and other subjects produced by the parliamentary research services, and the latest Early Day Motions put down by MPs.

Standard Notes

DateDescription
04.06.2013Empty housing
Empty housing. By Wendy Wilson. SN/SP/3012. This note outlines local authorities' powers to tackle empty housing; discusses Government action around this issue and sets out the further measures that campaigning organisations are requesting.
04.06.2013Housing Market Renewal Pathfinders
This note provides information on the Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder programme which was initiated under the Labour Government.
11.01.2013Constituency casework: housing (England)
A guide to sources for answering common constituents' housing problems.
29.10.2012Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMOs)
This note explains local authorities' powers to tackle privately owned dwellings that have been empty for a period of time.
24.04.2012Business rates: empty property
This note outlines the background to changes in empty rating policy.

Research Papers

DateDescription
30.05.2007The Rating (Empty Properties) Bill
The Rating (Empty Properties) Bill. (Bill 102 of 2006-07) House of Commons Library Research Paper 07/49
18.08.2006Affordable housing in England

Early Day Motions

DateDescription
06.04.2010SOUTH LAKELAND DISTRICT HOUSING WAITING LIST
That this House notes that South Lakeland District Council's figures show that there are 1,000 empty properties in the district; further notes that Shelter's figures show that there ...
10.03.2010EMPTY PROPERTY RATES
That this House welcomes the increase in empty property rates threshold from £15,000 to £18,000, but considers it to be a short-term solution to a long-standing problem; and calls for ...
13.01.2010EMPTY HOMES
That this House is concerned by the rising number of empty homes in England; notes that of the 784,000 homes which currently vacant 327,000 have been empty for a period of more than ...
02.11.2009EMPTY HOMES
That this House is concerned by the rising number of empty homes in England; notes that of the 784,000 homes which are currently vacant, 327,000 have been empty for a period of more ...
21.01.2009EMPTY BUSINESS PROPERTY RATES
That this House notes the Government's empty property rate relief is causing some perfectly good properties to be destroyed or let at a peppercorn rent to reduce the rate burden for ...

Glossary

  • Research Papers (RP) - briefings produced by the House of Commons Library on Bills, topical issues and regular statistics
  • Standard Notes (SN) - shorter, topical briefings from the Commons Library
  • Early Day Motions (EDMs) - formal motions submitted by MPs in the House of Commons
  • POST Notes - short briefing notes produced by the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology
  • Lords Library Notes (LLN) - papers compiled by the House of Lords Library on Bills and for debates in the Lords