Barking and Dagenham Council has given the go-ahead to a tougher empty homes policy, setting out how it will push long-term empty properties back into use — with some owners facing council tax premiums of up to 400 per cent.
Cabinet members approved the updated Empty Property Policy this week, aimed at tackling homes that have stood vacant for long periods, supporting vulnerable residents and helping to make neighbourhoods safer and cleaner.
The move comes after changes to national legislation that give councils far sharper tools than before. In some cases, owners who leave a home empty for many years can now be charged up to four times the standard council tax bill — a deliberate incentive to sell, let or renovate the property rather than let it sit idle.
What the policy does
At the heart of the policy is the council’s dedicated Empty Property Officer, whose job will be to work directly with owners to cut the number of properties standing empty across the borough and return them to use as homes for local people.
The council says its approach will start with engagement rather than enforcement: contacting owners, understanding why a property is empty, and helping them find a way forward. The heavier premiums are reserved for owners who leave homes empty for many years without a good reason.
Empty homes can blight a street. They attract antisocial behaviour, become eyesores, and in some cases fall into serious disrepair. Bringing them back into use does not just tidy up a neighbourhood — it adds homes to a borough under real housing pressure.
“Every home standing empty is a missed opportunity”
Councillor Syed Ghani, the council’s cabinet member for community safety and enforcement, said: “Empty homes can have a real impact on local neighbourhoods. Our focus is on working with owners wherever possible to bring these properties back into use and help create safer, cleaner neighbourhoods for everyone.”
He added: “This updated policy gives us stronger tools to tackle long-term empty properties, including the ability to charge higher council tax premiums of up to 400% on homes that have been left empty for many years.”
Councillor Maureen Worby, cabinet member for housing, adult social care and health, said: “Every home standing empty is a missed opportunity for a family in need of somewhere safe and secure to live. Bringing properties back into use will provide much-needed homes for local people and help prevent homelessness.”
Incentives on the table
Alongside the tougher stance, the council is exploring the other side of the equation. Work is under way to look at potential financial incentive schemes for owners of long-term empty properties, to help bring them back into use.
No funding has been allocated yet. Officers are developing a business case with Housing Services to see whether support for property improvements could be offered in exchange for homes being made available to local people.
The updated policy supports several of the council’s wider priorities, including helping residents access good housing, preventing homelessness, supporting vulnerable people, and ensuring communities benefit from inclusive growth and regeneration across the borough. Further details are available in the council’s own announcement.
Housing pressure across the capital
The move lands as London councils wrestle with some of the sharpest housing pressures in the country. Tower Hamlets is buying up office blocks to create temporary accommodation, Chelsea’s World’s End estate is in line for a £20 million refurbishment, and councils continue to refuse new HMOs where they do not meet standards — as happened in Purley this month.
For owners of empty properties in Barking and Dagenham, the message is clear: talk to the council’s Empty Property Officer before the premium bills arrive.
