Government plans to cut empty-home takeover wait from two years to six months to unlock 300,000 properties

From the Newshound archive · first published 28 September 2026.

A survey of 2,000 people by Walr, commissioned by Purplebricks, found that nearly half of UK buyers would walk away from a home next door to an empty property. The Government plans to allow councils to step in sooner to return derelict homes to use, cutting the minimum period before a takeover can be triggered from two years to just six months. The measure is aimed at England's 300,000 unused homes, which sit vacant while buyers struggle to find affordable stock.

Purplebricks warns that an abandoned home has 'a huge impact on a neighbourhood' for existing and prospective residents alike.

A third of buyers would reject a house on the same street as an empty property, and a fifth fear it could drag down their own home's value.

More than a quarter said an overgrown garden next door would be enough to put them off a purchase entirely.