Estimates of the number of private and public sector domestic empty dwellings, as at April 2008, are shown in the following table. The term public sector has been interpreted to mean “social rented” dwellings i.e. local authority and registered social landlord owned dwellings.
Number of vacant dwelling Total vacant dwellings 762,640 Local authority 36,940 Registered social landlords 29,240 Private sector 696,450 Sources: Council taxbase and council taxbase supplementary (CTB1 and CTB1S) returns from local authorities for 17 September 2007; housing strategy statistical appendix (HSSA) submitted to Communities and Local Government by local authorities for 1 April 2008; Regulatory statistical return (RSR) as reported to the Housing Corporation by registered social landlords for 31 March 2008.
Total vacant dwellings reported by local authorities through council taxbase returns include long term and short term empty dwellings and second homes. Figures for registered social landlords are for self-contained general needs units only. Estimates for private sector vacant dwellings have been made by deducting local authority and RSL vacant dwellings from the total. This estimate will include a small number of other public sector vacant dwellings.
Vacant stock at district level is collected from a variety of sources:
The number of local authority owned vacant dwellings and the number of ‘other public sector’ (other than local authority and RSL) vacant dwellings is obtained from the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) and the HRA Business Planning Statistical Appendix (BPSA) submitted to CLG by local authorities.
The number of registered social landlords (RSLs) owned vacant dwellings is obtained from the Regulatory and Statistical Return (RSR) submitted to the Tenants Services Authority by RSLs.
An estimate of the number of private sector vacant dwellings is obtained by subtracting the number of local authority owned, RSL owned and ‘other public sector’ vacant dwellings from the total number of vacant dwellings obtained from council tax records submitted to CLG by local authorities on CTB1 and CTBS1 returns.
Figures on council tax vacants can be found at
http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/stats/ctbase.htm,
and data on stock and vacants for local authorities and RSLs can be found at
http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/stockincludingvacants/livetables/.
At regional level, additional information on the age, type and condition of vacant stock is available from the “English House Condition Survey” (EHCS).
The National Register of Social Housing collects the same data on vacant dwellings as it does on occupied dwellings. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 6 October 2008, Official Report, column 335W.