Labour's plan to seize empty homes after six months is branded a 'PR stunt' by property experts who warn councils can't afford repairs

From the Newshound archive · first published 8 October 2026.

Property experts are warning that Angela Rayner's flagship housing policy — cutting the trigger period for council intervention in empty homes from two years to six months — will achieve nothing without extra funding. Elliot Castle, chief executive of We Buy Any Home, says the plan is a "PR stunt" that ignores the basic reality that cash-strapped councils lack the money to bring derelict properties back into use.

Castle, whose property investment background spans 25 years, estimates that more than 150,000 of England's 300,000 empty homes would need substantial repairs before anyone could live in them.