The Government has announced plans to cut the empty-home threshold for council intervention from two years to six months, giving local authorities earlier access to Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMOs).
The proposal, released on Sunday 27 September, would also remove some of the evidence councils currently need when seeking an order through the Residential Property Tribunal. Ownership would remain with the landlord, but a council could manage an eligible home and return it to occupation for up to seven years.
Landlords with a property standing empty while probate, refurbishment, sale planning or finance is being resolved now face a much tighter timetable. The announcement does not say that every six-month void will trigger action, but it makes the condition of the home and the owner’s record of engagement more important much sooner.
Long-term empty homes under a shorter clock
EDMOs are an existing power under the Housing Act 2004. They allow a local authority to take over management of a qualifying empty dwelling, let it and use rental income to cover management costs, while the owner keeps title to the property. The Government says the intended reforms will make a home eligible after six months rather than two years.
This follows Residential Landlord’s report that England’s long-term empty homes had reached 303,185. That figure concerned homes empty for at least six months, so the proposed EDMO test would bring the intervention threshold into line with the measure already used to describe the national problem.
Council enforcement becomes easier to start
At present, councils must build a case for a tribunal order and the route has been used sparingly. Ministers say they will streamline applications by removing requirements to evidence factors such as anti-social behaviour or community support. The change would not turn EDMOs into a quick route to compulsory purchase, but it would reduce the procedural hurdles before a council can seek control of a home.
The practical warning is that a landlord cannot safely treat a prolonged void as a private matter once it is visible to the council. A clear renovation schedule, insurance, security, correspondence and evidence of active marketing may all help explain why a property is empty and what is being done about it. Residential Landlord has previously covered how empty-home council tax charges can also create costly disputes when an authority’s process is not handled properly.
Details still to come
The Government’s announcement confirms the direction of travel but does not set out a commencement date, draft regulations or a revised tribunal process. It says ministers are considering further steps to strengthen the regime. Until the legal changes are made, the current two-year eligibility rule remains in place.
For investors, the immediate issue is portfolio housekeeping. Properties in a genuine transition should have a documented plan and a named person responsible for keeping the council informed. Those left vacant without a defensible reason could become a more attractive enforcement target once the reform is introduced.
Opinion
Bringing a neglected empty home back into use is a reasonable public aim, but a six-month test risks catching properties caught in ordinary sale, finance and refurbishment delays. The Government should pair a faster route for councils with clear safeguards for owners who can show a real plan. Otherwise, a measure aimed at dereliction could become another source of uncertainty for landlords trying to improve or dispose of a home.
