Britain's empty homes valued at £200bn

As countless stories circulate the media with regards to record-low property stock levels driven by the events of the past eighteen months, vacant property levels are rising - up 2.1% on the previous year alone and now valued at an estimated £200bn.

Related topics:  Property
Property Reporter
13th January 2022
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Research by Barrows and Forrester highlighted government data on the number of vacant dwellings across each area of the property market as well as the average value of these dwellings, to reveal just how much this dormant bricks and mortar is worth in current market conditions.

With 665,628 vacant dwellings, England is home to by far the highest total value, worth an estimated £190bn in the current market.

Regionally, London is home to the highest total value of all English regions, with 80,295 empty homes worth an estimated £41bn. The capital has also seen the largest annual increase in vacant dwellings stock, up 12% in the last year.

The South East and East of England also rank high, with an estimated £36.2bn and £22.9bn worth of vacant dwellings across their respective markets.

The North East is home to the lowest total value of vacant dwellings of all English regions, but even still, its 43,735 empty homes are estimated to be worth £6.5bn in current market conditions.

In Scotland, the total value of vacant dwellings sits at almost £8bn, while Wales is home to the lowest total value at £5.2bn.

Across Britain as a whole, the 735,095 homes believed to be sat dormant total an estimated market value of £2bn.

James Forrester, Managing Director of Barrows and Forrester, commented: “We currently find ourselves in the middle of a property market boom and huge levels of buyer demand and insufficient stock to satisfy this hunger for homeownership have pushed house prices to record highs.

"While there’s arguably never been a better time to sell, there remains a huge number of homes sat empty across the nation and the value of these vacant properties is quite staggering, to say the least.

"Of course, there will be varying reasons as to why these homes are empty but they could certainly go some way in addressing the current housing crisis and bringing a much-needed stock boost to the market.”

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