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<p>The Department has no current plans to establish funding programmes specifically
targeted at renovating or preventing empty homes, nor to carry out a formal review
of local authorities' powers in this respect. Local authorities are already equipped
with a range of powers and strong incentives to tackle empty homes. Through the New
Homes Bonus, they earn the same financial reward for bringing an empty home back into
use as for building a new one. Since 1 April 2019, via the Rating (Property in Common
Occupation) and Council Tax (Empty Dwellings) Act 2018, local authorities have the
discretion to increase the maximum level of premium charged on properties that have
been empty for more than two years from 50 per cent to 100 per cent extra council
tax. In certain circumstances, local authorities can apply for an Empty Dwelling Management
Order (EDMO) to temporarily take over the management of a property that has been empty
for more than two years and bring it back into use.</p><p>The number of long-term
empty homes remains substantially lower than when records began. In October 2010,
299,999 homes in England had been standing empty for longer than 6 months; as of October
2018, there were 216,186 long-term empty properties. We do not have plans to make
a further statement to the House on the issue at present.</p>
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