The government has announced plans to make it easier for local authorities to take control of empty homes by reducing the qualifying period for an Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) from two years to six months.
Under the proposed reforms, councils would also no longer need to provide evidence regarding issues such as anti-social behaviour or community support when applying to the property tribunal. The government is also considering measures to protect local authorities from costs incurred while managing properties under an EDMO.
Conservative MP Kevin Hollinrake, who founded the estate agency Hunters, criticised the proposals, stating on X that "Seizing someone’s home because you disapprove of how they use it is classic socialist authoritarianism."
The government argues that these changes will help councils bring more of the existing housing stock back into use. Official figures indicate that 303,185 homes in England were classified as long-term empty in 2025, meaning they had been vacant for over six months.
The EDMO powers were introduced in the Housing Act 2004 with a six-month threshold, which was increased to two years in 2012. The latest reforms would revert the qualifying period to six months and remove some additional evidential requirements.