1,371 homes standing empty in Manchester

February 26, 2019

A recent news story shares that 1,371 homes are empty in Manchester with 94 that have been empty for over 10 years!

The figures, released by University College London, have generated discontent from campaigners who feel that these figures lean towards being an ’empty housing scandal’.

Rightly so, it the current client of affordable housing shortages, Manchester City Council have announced higher taxation rates for empty property owners in hope that this will encourage them being put to use. A 100% premium is being charged annually on property that have been empty for more than two years with a 200% premium on property that have been empty for over 5 years. Similar procedures are in place in Tameside.

“Manchester City Council has also introduced an Empty Homes Cluster Plan, in which the council buys empty homes in North and east Manchester with a view to repairing and reselling the properties to the owner or first time buyer.” Manchester Evening News website.

The council have been acting in that 62 vacant homes were bought locally to include renovation projects. Reasons for property to be standing empty include negative equity, lengthy probate issues and people unsure of what to do with inherited property and especially those which are in a bad state.

Councillor Suzanne Richards, responsible for housing and regeneration at Manchester City Council was quoted as saying: “Manchester City Council has prioritised bringing empty homes back into use and has been using every tool at our disposal to do this.”

Chris Bailey, Campaign Manager from charity Action on Empty Homes was quoted as saying: “It is time we all woke up to the fact that around one in every 30 homes in England has no residents at a time of national housing crisis.“

EAN Breaking News

Breaking News from the team at Estate Agent Networking. Have a new story to share with us? Then please get in contact today! When and where we can we will refer to third party websites with a 'live link back' where news was released first.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Renters’ Rights Bill parliamentary progress

The Renters’ Rights Bill has completed its Committee Stage in the House of Lords and will move on to the Report Stage imminently. Allison Thompson, National Lettings Managing Director of LRG, comments on the progress of the Bill: “As the Renters’ Rights Bill completes its committee stage in the House of Lords, it is disappointing…
Read More →
Kerb appeal
Breaking News

Housing Market Surges as Stamp Duty Changes Drive Buyer Activity

UK Finance today releases its latest Household Finance Review for Q1 2025, which explores trends in household spending, saving, and borrowing. Mortgage lending surged in the first quarter of 2025, driven by homebuyers seeking to complete purchases before changes to Stamp Duty took effect in April. Household savings continued to grow, particularly in notice accounts…
Read More →
Breaking News

Mortgage Approvals Down in April

The latest figures show that: – Mortgage approvals on house purchases for April sat at 60,463 down (-4.9%) from 63,603 in March. This signals four consecutive months of decline. Approvals are also lower (-2.1%) than the 61,740 seen in April 2024. Despite the decline, there is still optimism for growth in the coming months, especially…
Read More →
New Builds 2020
Breaking News

Build to rent completions up, but sector has seen slowdown in construction

New research by Inventory Base reveals that the number of build to rent completions has increased by almost 16% in the past year, however, there has been a significant dip in the number of BTR buildings currently under construction. Inventory Base has analysed UK build to rent (BTR) construction planning data* and found that in…
Read More →
Breaking News

Response to latest Nationwide House Price Index

Comment on latest Nationwide data showing a 3.5% increase in house prices from the Industry. Nathan Emerson, CEO at Propertymark: “It is reassuring to witness consistent house price growth and a strong appetite as people continue to approach the homebuying and selling process, especially when the UK economy continues to adapt to both domestic and…
Read More →
Breaking News

Annual house price growth edged higher in May

Annual rate of house price growth increased marginally in May to 3.5%, compared to 3.4% in April House prices were up 0.5% month on month House prices in predominantly rural areas have risen by 23% over the last five years, compared to 18% in more urban areas Commenting on the figures, Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s Chief…
Read More →