Halifax survey highlights empty homes problem

News Category: Management

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A new survey from Halifax indicates that there are almost 290,000 empty homes in England.

The research is based both on government data and Halifax's own housing database, and found that there were 288,763 empty private homes in England in April 2006 - equating to 1.6 per cent of all privately owned dwellings.

This indicates that there are many properties where landlords are missing out on potential income.

It was also found that the areas with a high proportion of empty homes are almost exclusively in the north of the country, with many being in the north-west. The highest proportions of private empty homes are in Pendle, Manchester and Liverpool.

As well as this, the average house price in all 15 of the local authorities with a high level of empty homes is below the regional average.

Halifax is calling on the government to extend the reduced VAT rate (five per cent) for restoring an empty home to all properties that have been vacant for more than six months, down from the current two years.

"This will provide a more level playing field between individuals and local authorities," a spokesman said.

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