Nearly half of buyers would reject a home next door to an empty property, survey finds

From the Newshound archive · first published 28 September 2026 · last updated 29 September 2026.

New government plans aim to return 300,000 vacant homes in England to use by cutting the intervention threshold from two years to six months, allowing councils to step in sooner. The initiative follows a survey of 2,000 UK adults that identified derelict neighbouring properties as a significant deterrent for buyers. One in five respondents felt that a nearby empty home could actively reduce the value of their own property.

A third of buyers would walk away from a house on any street where a vacant property was present.

Councils will be able to act after just six months vacancy rather than the current two-year wait.

More than a quarter said an overgrown garden alone would be enough to put them off buying nearby.