A crisis we can no longer afford to ignore: How reclaiming Britain's empty homes could prove crucial in ending homelessness.

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Posted on 26 November 2025

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A crisis we can no longer afford to ignore: how reclaiming Britain's empty homes could prove crucial to ending homelessness.

Over the past few years homelessness in the United Kingdom has reached staggering proportions and is a stark reminder of the widening inequalities, huge failures in social policy, and economic drain on local government resources that are currently afflicting our society.

What has caused this surge in homelessness across the UK?

There is a common misconception that drug use and addiction are the main contributing factors towards a person becoming homeless. Gaps in the welfare system can leave many individuals vulnerable to losing their homes because it can be very difficult to escape the cycle of instability they may have found themselves in.

Vulnerable groups such as newly arriving migrants or prison leavers can face significant barriers that place them at a huge disadvantage when it comes to finding stable housing. Economic pressures, such as poverty, underemployment, low or unreliable incomes (zero hours contracts), rising debt levels, or wages that have failed to increase in line with the cost of living, can also result in people losing their homes.

Rising rents, which are currently outpacing income growth, and a shortage of affordable housing are also major contributors to the problem. Thousands of people are being pushed into homelessness, not due to personal failures, but because the systems that were put in place to support the nation’s most vulnerable people are no longer fit for purpose.

The social and financial challenges of increasing homelessness rates.

According to an article published by the Guardian (14/11/2025), homelessness rates rose by 21% in England between 2022 and 2024 and have risen by 45% since 2012 overall. Official figures suggest that over 300,000 families in the UK are facing some form of homelessness, with levels of statutory homelessness (cases in which councils are legally obliged to intervene) at their highest ever levels.

Homelessness has also triggered what many consider to be a major public health emergency. Records suggest that 172,000 children in England are having to be housed in temporary accommodation, which in turn is disrupting education and health levels across the country. If this situation is allowed to continue, it could seriously hinder the UK's development rates and lead to a spike in public health inequalities.

Financial Drain on the Government…

New analysis from the Local Government Association (12/11/25) highlights a looming crisis in which councils will be facing a cumulative £3 billion funding shortfall for temporary accommodation by 2030. This funding 'black hole' is the result of a fundamental policy failure.

The subsidies councils currently receive to cover the cost of temporary accommodation are currently capped by the Local Housing Allowance rates, which have effectively been frozen since 2011. As a result, private rental costs have drastically increased and councils are being forced to spend far more on short term solutions.

The total spend on housing benefit by councils for temporary accommodation in England reached £1.05 billion from 2023/2024. However, councils received just £780 million from the Department of Work and Pensions by way of reimbursement. Consequently, councils are having to divert more than £266 million away from other essential services that also urgently require funding. The end result will be a cycle of deprivation in which the most vulnerable people will no longer have access to basic services, limiting their access to good quality healthcare and education, and ultimately making it harder to find a job and a way out of their current situation.

The solution…

The key to addressing and successfully tackling homelessness and financial distress lies in a shift in the way we use empty properties.  Putting vacant properties back into use would reduce the need for funding expensive temporary accommodation. The following policies would help councils to accomplish this:

1.      Enhanced Council Tax Premiums

Charges of up to 300% of the standard tax can be levied for properties that remain empty for two years or more. Local authorities have the power to charge a council tax premium on long-term empty properties. Accelerating the rate and applying it sooner would introduce a clear financial incentive for owners to sell or rent their properties out quickly, thereby generating revenue that would fund the necessary conversion projects and increase occupation rates.

2.      Empty Dwelling Management Orders

While these can be complex and are infrequently used, empty dwelling management orders allow councils to take over the management of  properties that have been vacant for more than two years. The properties can then be renovated and let out to those in need of housing. This policy can be implemented by providing ring fenced government funding to pay for the empty dwelling management order applications and renovations to prevent an excess number of vacant buildings.

3.      Strategic Compulsory Purchase Orders

For long term empty homes, councils can use compulsory purchase orders to buy houses at market value, regardless of the owners' wishes. CPOs can be crucial in preventing properties from falling into disrepair and becoming hazards to the communities around them. CPOs are a way of  feeding these buildings directly into the social housing stock, providing permanent homes, and reducing the government's £3 billion worth of debt. 

The Big Sleepout…

The Big Sleepout takes place every year. Participants spend one night sleeping outside at Millennium Point in Birmingham. The aim is to raise awareness and funds for St Basils, a charity that supports young people who are facing homelessness across the West Midlands.

As a city, Birmingham is chock full of creativity and progress, but it’s also a city of sharp contrasts. While rough sleepers are searching for a safe place to bed down every night night, thousands of houses across the city and the rest of the UK are sitting neglected and unoccupied.

Every one of those buildings has the potential to become a home, a workspace or a community hub, yet so many go unnoticed.

Sleeping out at night during the Big Sleepout is about trying to understand how it feels to be homeless, even just for one night.

You can sign up or donate to help raise awareness about homelessness in Birmingham and across the West Midlands.

To learn more, visit: The Big Sleepout

How Land Attic can help to address homelessness and provide appropriate solutions

Land Attic provides a database for stakeholders (including local authorities) to access, which enables them to identify empty properties that might be suitable as temporary homes for people struggling with homelessness. The database maps this data for various areas across the UK. Using Land Attic's information could be key to helping the government tackle the issues in areas that urgently require temporary housing solutions.

 

 
 

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