housing · empty homes · landlords
Empty homes: councils could step in after six months
Muhsin AkhtarSource: UK GOV
The government plans to let councils seek an Empty Dwelling Management Order after six months, down from two years. It is not in force yet.
On 27 September 2026 the government announced reforms to Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMOs). The aim is to let councils bring long-term empty homes back into use sooner. The reforms have been announced. They are not yet in force.
What an EDMO does
An EDMO lets a council take over the management of a long-term empty home and return it to occupation for up to seven years. Ownership stays with the property owner.
What would change
The period a property must stand empty before it can be eligible for an EDMO would fall from two years to six months. The government says that would let councils act before a vacant home falls into serious disrepair.
The application process would also be shortened. Councils would no longer have to provide evidence on matters such as anti-social behaviour, or show community support for the intervention, before asking the Residential Property Tribunal for an order.
The government says it is still looking at further changes to the EDMO regime, so councils can use the powers more effectively. It has not set out what those further changes would be.
What owners should do now
Until the legislation changes, the two-year qualifying period remains the rule. This announcement also leaves the separate council tax premiums on empty homes as they are.
If you own a home that has been empty, keep a note of how long it has been vacant, why, and what you are doing to let it, sell it or bring it back into use. If you want to talk through how an empty property sits in your wider tax position, contact us.