London's Vacant Homes Contribute to Rental Crisis, Says Mayor Khan

Kensington and Chelsea has the highest number of vacant homes, worth an estimated £2.2 billion.

The number of vacant homes in London has increased by 10,000 since 2019.

Westminster City Council leader Adam Hug and Southwark Council leader Kieron Williams have called for the government to give local authorities power to set their own levels of Council Tax on unused properties and to make it easier to allow the temporary take-over of empty homes using Empty Dwelling Management Orders.

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has also called for these measures, as well as urging the government to restrict the use of overseas investment in London properties.

The housing system in the UK has been turned into a "piggy bank for the rich" by government decisions that prioritize the interests of property owners over those of renters and social housing applicants.

The article suggests that solutions to the rental crisis should start with those who are most affected by it, specifically those on the social housing waitlist.

If properties remain empty for long periods of time, the government should take them back into public ownership and convert them into social housing.

A government spokesperson stated that councils have a range of powers to bring empty properties back into use and that the government has delivered over 2.2 million homes since 2010, reducing the number of long-term empty homes by more than 50,000.