The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and Westminster City Council (WCC) are calling for stronger powers to crack down on empty homes, as new analysis by City Hall reveals an estimated £20bn worth of property is sitting vacant across the capital.
The mayor is calling it a “scandal” that there are an estimated 30,000 long-term empty homes across London.
The highest concentration of them are in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea — where 1,600 empty properties would collectively be worth more than £2.2bn.
In light of these figures, Khan is calling on the government to devolve the power to set higher rates of council tax on empty homes, including for mega-mansions in areas such as Westminster, where council tax is not currently a deterrent to prevent people leaving their properties empty.
The mayor advises that the level of council tax for empty homes should be decided by local councils, in order to make it an effective deterrent.
Khan and WWC are also urging ministers to make it easier for councils to temporarily take over empty homes using established Empty Dwelling Management Orders, which have been restricted in recent years.
An example is a property in Knightsbridge, number 3 Trevor Square — the grade II listed, early nineteenth century, four-storey townhouse has been empty for almost a decade.
The four-bedroom property, complete with two reception rooms is one of 1,100 empty homes in the City of Westminster, which at current market rates could be worth £1.7bn.
Last year, the mayor set out a range of proposals that ministers could take into consideration, whilst also raising funds to help tackle London’s housing crisis.
Khan said: “Over the last few years we’ve started building a number of homes for Londoners, but there’s still a long way to go to fix the housing crisis and it will require much greater national investment.
“But ministers should start by making it easier for councils to bring long-term empty homes back into use, so we can continue building a fairer and more prosperous London for everyone.”
Cllr Adam Hug, leader of Westminster City Council, said: “It is great that people across the world invest in Westminster, but the reality is that has led to a property market with stratospheric prices, many of which are bought simply as investments rather than to live in.
“The rise in declared vacant homes is alarming but we know the real numbers are likely to be even higher.
“It cannot be right that large homes in Westminster sit empty - in some cases falling into decay - while thousands of people face years on waiting lists.
“The Council has taken action itself, for example launching an online tool for people to report properties which stand empty for long periods, to help us understand the scale of the problem.
“We have also worked with government officials and ministers to reform Empty Dwelling Management Orders, reducing the time before we can apply them, and we are making the case for further reform to ensure we have as many tools as possible to make more housing available and to help breath life back into certain local areas."
