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Empty homes on the decline in Plymouth

A graphic detailing National Empty Homes Week 2022

The number of empty homes in Plymouth is on the decline thanks to the great work of Council teams.

Data shows that in 2021 the city's long-term empty homes number dropped by 26 per cent compared to 2020.

This means that just 0.6 per cent of homes in the city are vacant, compared to 0.75 regionally and 0.95 per cent nationally.

The news comes during Empty Homes Week 2022, a national initiative designed to shine the spotlight on a housing issue.

In Plymouth, empty homes officers engage with the city’s most troublesome empty homes all year-round, offering advice, guidance and financial assistance, and with the option of enforcement as a last resort.

A yearly review, where all properties listed as long-term empty on Council Tax records are contacted, is also conducted.

This helps to maintain an accurate total of all unoccupied properties and removes from the figures those where records had not been updated to reflect occupancy.

A number of schemes used to encourage empty home owners to renovate their properties for sale or rental are also in the team's arsenal.

Councillor Vivien Pengelly, Cabinet member for Housing and Communities, said: "I'm very proud of the work that we do on empty homes and am determined to carry on our very proactive stance on the issue.”

"There are currently hundreds of households waiting for a home which is why it's so important to ensure we have as few empty properties in the city as possible."

Find out more about our empty homes service