250,000 English homes 'empty'

More than a quarter of a million English homes were empty in April of last year, according to new research.

Mortgage lender HBOS said the figure was lower than the 308,438 that were unfilled in April 2003.

Empty homes in 17 local authorities account for more than three per cent of total English housing stock.

The majority of the 17 council''s with a higher percentage of unused properties than the national average – which stood at 1.5 per cent last year – are in the north-west.

Chief economist at Halifax Martin Ellis said: "It is highly encouraging that the number of private empty homes in England has declined by nearly a tenth over the past four years."

"[But] remains a significant problem in a number of areas," he added.

In related news, the Bank of England said the number of mortgage approvals climbed in September for the first time in more than year.

back