Camden has third highest number of empty council homes in London, data reveals

Camden Council has the third-highest level of vacant social housing in London, new data has revealed.

A recent investigation found that almost a quarter of England’s roughly 40,000 unoccupied council homes sit in the capital.

Freedom of Information (FoI) requests sent to each of the city’s local authorities uncovered that Camden has one of the most severe cases of vacancies (‘voids’), with 522 of its social premises currently empty.

This is equivalent to around 24 vacant properties per 10,000 people.

A council spokesperson said the number of empty social homes only represented around three per cent of the borough’s housing stock, and many of those were undergoing essential repairs to prepare them for new tenants.

Town Hall data shows approximately 40 per cent are awaiting repairs, 19 per cent are in the process of being let, and the rest are being prepared for occupancy.

“We’re taking significant steps to reduce the number of void properties in our borough,” the spokesperson said.

“By restructuring our lettings service and appointing dedicated staff, we aim to get properties occupied more quickly to help us to provide much-needed housing to local people, reduce the time properties remain vacant and ensure quality housing for our residents.”

They added that a designated ‘void manager’ had been working through a backlog of empty properties since June, and that the council expected to have a new ‘tenancy allocations manager’ in place by 25 January 2025.

The council confirmed that it was also actively onboarding additional void contractors to speed up the turnaround time of re-letting properties and bring down the total number of vacant homes.

Residences that have stood empty for a long time but were unfit to be re-let would be used for temporary accommodation instead of being left unoccupied, the spokesperson added.

The research into empty social housing across the country, including FoI requests, was undertaken by unoccupied home insurers Alan Boswell Group.

Data retrieved from the Town Hall by the company showed that Camden’s waiting list for social housing currently stands at 8,029.

On Tuesday, council directors reminded the housing scrutiny committee that the borough was dealing with a national crisis.

“We can’t solve it, but we are still responding to it,” said Glendine Shepherd, Camden’s director of housing.

A report shared at the meeting also revealed that the borough’s council homes were being left empty for an average of 170 days.

The scrutiny committee also pored over the latest housing revenue account (HRA) update, which put the projected overspend on its housing budget at £3.5 million.

Most of this has been driven by spending on maintenance and repairs, but also insurance premiums, high interest rates, and worsening building conditions making major capital works on these properties more expensive.

Camden has also spent more than it expected on compensation and legal fees for cases of disrepair in its housing stock.

Heath Alexander-Bew, director at Alan Boswell Group, said that while the number of empty council homes in the UK have fallen, both investment in renovation and better allocation can help local authorities turn things around.

“The boroughs with the most vacant properties per 10,000 people highlight this issue, with many homes vacant due to maintenance or awaiting allocation.

“With the pressure of building new homes weighing heavily on Camden Council and a substantial housing funding gap, the council could tap into this unused potential of their vacant property stock to ease the pressure.

“Addressing this requires streamlined refurbishment, improved allocation systems, and decisive policy action. Many vacant properties remain unoccupied due to disrepair, administrative delays, or redevelopment plans, but these homes represent a missed opportunity to house people in need.”

He added that vacant homes posed risks like deterioration and security, creating further financial and operational burdens for local authorities.

Through rapid repairs and “leaning in to technology” to boost property allocation systems and criteria, empty council homes could be turned into “immediate opportunities for families on long waiting lists”, he said.