For immediate release

Tuesday 10th February 2009

Empty Homes Agency Dismay at Record Rise in Empty Homes

The Empty Homes Agency has reacted with dismay to the latest Government
figures showing the biggest annual jump in empty homes in England in
seventeen years. The figures rose from 672,000 to 697,000.

Chief Executive of the Empty Homes Agency David Ireland said "The
recession is having a calamitous impact on vacancy levels. Big regeneration
schemes are stalled, half-finished houses have been abandoned, and normal
developments in the market that bring homes back into use have ground to a
halt."

He added "We fear worse is to come and we predict the total for the UK will
exceed a million this year. With the housing market seemingly unable to deal
with the problem it is more important than ever that councils use their powers
to help, housing associations redirect their investment towards purchasing
and repairing empty homes, and owners make their property available for
short-term use. Unless we take action now we are on course for over a million
empty homes in the UK at a time of record housing need."

The Empty Homes Agency is calling on councils to improve their performance

in bringing empty homes back into use. It is calling on the Government and
the Homes and Communities Agency to redirect investment intended for
building new homes towards purchase and repair of empty and run-down
private homes, and calling on them to provide small grants to enable housing
associations and co-operatives to operate short life housing schemes.

Ends

Notes

The figures for empty homes reported in this press release are sourced from
the annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA), published by the
Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) using returns
from English local authorities; see
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/hssa08sectionad.xls,
cols. AO-AU for detailed data. They show how many homes owned by
councils, housing associations, private companies and individuals were empty
at the end of March 2008, and how many of the privately owned properties
had been vacant for six months or longer. Note these figures only give the
picture up to 1st April 2008 - before the housing market really went into
freefall - so the real picture is probably now considerably worse.

The Empty Homes Agency is reporting its estimated running total of empty
homes in England on its website www.emptyhomes.com. Its estimate is
based on council tax data, not the HSSA source reported in this press
release.

The Empty Homes Agency has calculated that empty homes across the whole
of the UK stood at 943,000 in 2008.

For more details or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Shashi Ioannides – Communications Manager

020 7022 1870
Shashi.ioannides@emptyhomes.com

Henry Oliver, Policy Advisor

020 7022 1869
henry.oliver@emptyhomes.com

David Ireland, Chief Executive

020 7022 1867
07941 451550 (m)
david.ireland@emptyhomes.com