Two years cut to six months: councils get faster powers over empty homes
What happened
On 27 September 2026, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced changes to the powers councils have over long-term empty homes. The power in question is called an Empty Dwelling Management Order, or EDMO. It lets a council take over the management of an empty property — arranging repairs and putting tenants in — without taking ownership away from the owner. A final order can run for up to seven years. Until now, a property had to have been empty for two years before a council could apply. Under the new reforms, that drops to six months. The application process is also being simplified. Councils previously had to produce evidence about anti-social behaviour connected to the property and about community support for intervention. Those evidential requirements are being removed, which should make tribunal applications less onerous. The government says it is exploring further measures to strengthen these powers. For scale, Action on Empty Homes analysis of government council tax data published in November 2025 put the number of long-term empty homes in England at just over 303,000 — a rise of 38,301 on the previous count, and the highest level since 2011.
Why this matters
An empty house is not a neutral thing. It is a slow problem for everyone around it. Gutters block and water gets in. Damp spreads through a party wall into the house next door. Gardens go wild. Post piles up behind the door. Eventually the roof starts to go, and a house that could have been lived in becomes a house that needs tens of thousands of pounds spending on it. That is the reason the two-year wait mattered. Two years is long enough for a sound house to become a damaged one. By the time a council could act, the repair bill had often grown past the point where intervention made sense. Six months is short enough to catch a property while it is still just empty rather than derelict. There is a housing arithmetic point too. Just over 303,000 long-term empty homes is a very large number of houses that already exist, already have roofs, and already sit on streets with shops and bus routes. Bringing even a fraction back into use is faster and cheaper than building. And there is a health point that gets less attention. Damp and cold housing makes asthma, COPD and other chest conditions worse. A neglected empty house does not only harm itself — it can make the neighbours' homes colder and damper too.
What the evidence actually says
It is worth setting expectations honestly here, because EDMOs have a mixed history. They have existed since the Housing Act 2004. They have been used sparingly — in most years, only a handful are made across the whole of England. The reasons given by councils have usually been the two-year wait, the evidence burden, the cost of going to tribunal, and the cost of actually doing the repairs once an order is in place. These reforms address two of those four things. The waiting period drops from two years to six months, and the evidence requirements about anti-social behaviour and community support go. That is genuine progress. What the announcement does not do is fund anything. A council still has to pay for the tribunal process and then for the repair work, recovering costs from rent over time. For a council with a stretched budget, that up-front cost remains a real obstacle. If EDMO use stays low after these changes, that is the most likely reason. It is also worth being clear about what an EDMO is not. It is not confiscation. The owner keeps ownership. The council manages the property, gets it occupied, and rent is used to cover the costs of doing so. The press release notes that owners' rights are preserved. The announcement itself does not include national figures on empty homes. The 303,000-plus figure comes from Action on Empty Homes' analysis of government council tax data, not from this release.
Practical advice
1. If an empty property near you is causing problems, report it to your council rather than assuming nothing can be done. Most councils have an empty homes officer or an empty property team. They can often make contact with an owner long before any formal order is needed, and that resolves most cases. 2. Be specific when you report it. Dates, photographs, what is actually happening — water coming through a shared wall, a collapsed gutter, rats, an insecure door. 'It's been empty a while' is much less useful than a dated record. 3. If damp is coming into your home from next door, tell your own landlord or your council's environmental health team as well. You may have a remedy through housing standards law regardless of what happens to the empty property. 4. If damp or cold in your home is affecting someone's breathing, treat it as a health issue as well as a housing one. Speak to your GP or pharmacist about managing asthma or COPD symptoms, and ask your council or landlord about the damp in writing so there is a record. 5. If you own an empty property, talk to the council before they come to you. Many offer grants, loans and matchmaking with letting agents to get properties back into use. Councils would generally far rather help you let it than take it over. Remember too that long-term empty homes can attract a council tax premium, so leaving a property empty is rarely cost-free. 6. If you have inherited a property and feel stuck, say so. Probate delays, disputes and repair costs are the most common reasons homes sit empty, and they are exactly the problems empty homes officers are used to untangling.
What to know
Councils in England will be able to apply for an Empty Dwelling Management Order after a property has been empty for six months instead of two years, and they will no longer need to provide evidence about anti-social behaviour or community support to do it. An EDMO lets a council manage and let out an empty property for up to seven years. It does not take ownership away from the owner. The change matters because two years was long enough for a sound house to deteriorate into an expensive one. Acting at six months catches properties earlier and cheaper. With just over 303,000 long-term empty homes in England, according to Action on Empty Homes' analysis of government data, the potential scale is considerable. The honest caveat is money. These reforms remove two barriers but not the cost of tribunal action and repairs, which councils still have to carry up front. That has been the main reason EDMOs were rarely used. If an empty property near you is causing damp, pests or damage, a dated and specific report to your council's empty homes team is the most useful thing you can do. Sources: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, 'New reforms to bring more long-term empty homes back into use', 27 September 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-reforms-to-bring-more-long-term-empty-homes-back-into-use--2 ; Action on Empty Homes, 'Empty Homes Data', analysis of MHCLG council tax data published November 2025, https://www.actiononemptyhomes.org/facts-and-figures ; Legislation.gov.uk, 'Housing Act 2004, Part 4 (Empty Dwelling Management Orders)', https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/34/part/4 This article is for general information and does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional.
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