Long-term vacant dwellings in England jump 14.5% despite continued housing stock growth

21 May 2026

There were 25.8 million dwellings in England as of 31 March 2025, an increase of 208,600 dwellings or 0.81% on the previous year, according to the latest dwelling stock estimates from the Ministry of Housing Communities & Local Government that were released earlier today.

16.6 million dwellings were owner-occupied dwellings, an increase of 131,000 dwellings on the previous year, 5 million dwellings were private rented dwellings, an increase of 54,000 dwellings on the previous year, 4.2 million dwellings were social and affordable rented dwellings (Private Registered Providers plus Local Authorities), an increase of 25,000 dwellings on the previous year and 28,200 dwellings were other public sector dwellings, a decrease of 900 dwellings on the previous year.

There were 754,264 vacant dwellings in England on 6 October 2025, an increase of 34,794 or 4.8% from 719,470 on 7 October 2024.

There were 303,185 long-term vacant dwellings in England on 6 October 2025, an increase of 38,301 or 14.5% from 264,884 on 7 October 2024.

England had a dwelling density of 1.98 dwellings per hectare as of 31 March 2025.

Raymond Connor, CEO of BuildLoan said:

“The rising number of vacant, and especially long-term vacant, properties in England is concerning, given the scale of the country’s housing challenge.

“But it is also indicative of the opportunity that exists within England’s existing housing stock, if it can be tapped into.

“The majority of the 303,185 long-term vacant properties, which make up 1.2% of England’s total housing stock, are likely standing empty because they require refurbishment before they can be considered suitable for occupation and accepted for a standard mortgage product. But there are now light and heavy renovation mortgages available on the market that are suitable for these properties and have the potential to play an important role in bringing these buildings back to life.

“These aren’t mortgage products made for developers, these are mortgages that can help families and young couples looking to take their first step onto the housing ladder to secure both the loan to purchase a property and the funds to carry out any necessary renovations to make it their home.