Action on Empty Homes

There are over 250,000 people in need of homes in England. Yet despite shocking statistics around homelessness, rising rents and soaring house prices, over 260,000 homes in England are empty on a long-term basis (and upwards of 1 million if you include second homes, short-term lets and other ‘furnished empties’).

For over 30 years, Action on Empty Homes has advocated for simple solutions to tackling housing shortages – and have won major victories. By working with local councils and national government, they’ve changed policy around empty homes, such as removing automatic Council Tax discounts on empty properties and enabling them to charge more in 2013 and, more recently, persuading the UK government to recognise the vacancy of so-called second homes and introduce a double Council Tax levy through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill in 2024.

WHAT WE DO FOR Action on Empty Homes

We’re an enthusiastic ally of the campaign, and work to foster connections between this vital campaign and our network of architecture and public policy professionals. In 2024, Zetteler’s founder Sabine Zetteler joined the board of Action on Empty Homes, bringing her experience volunteering with homeless charities and insights from working across architecture and communications.

actiononemptyhomes.org