Councils are to get new powers to take over empty and derelict homes by reducing the period a property must be empty before it becomes eligible for an Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) from two years to six months.

The changes aim to make it simpler for councils to bring some of the more than 300,000 empty dwellings in England into use by ensuring existing housing stock is used more effectively and preventing properties from falling into serious disrepair.

EDMOs allow councils to take over the management of long-term empty homes and return them to occupation for up to seven years while ownership remains with the property owner.

Streamline

The reforms will also streamline the application process by removing evidential requirements relating to issues such as anti-social behaviour or community support for intervention, making it simpler for local authorities to seek an EDMO through the property tribunal. Ministers have also vowed to explore further changes to protect local authorities from absorbing the costs they face managing homes subject to EDMOs.

The latest statistics show 303,185 dwellings in England were classed as ‘long-term’ empty (more than six months) in 2025.

However, drawing on Freedom of Information responses from 226 local authorities, Propertymark has found that only 38% of councils have an empty homes strategy in place, and only 25% operate with a dedicated budget for empty homes work. No applications have been made for an EDMO since 2021, according to ITV News.

Propertymark

Timothy Douglas, head of policy and campaigns at Propertymark, says it’s important to understand that these orders are focused on the management and control of properties, rather than taking over ownership.

“Where they are used, these properties tend to be severely derelict and run down,” he tells LandlordZONE. “They are not a solution for every empty property, so local authorities must continue to engage with residents, landlords and property agents to understand housing in their area and ensure the appropriate powers are used in the right circumstances. This will help ensure EDMOs are not used where works are already planned or underway, and where there is a realistic prospect of the property being brought back into use in the near future.”

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