On 5 February 2026, Southend-on-Sea City Council launched a “One Stop Shop” support programme to help bring hundreds of long-term empty properties back into use. The service centralises advice for homeowners and landlords on repairs, legal matters (including probate and ownership issues), and finding tenants for properties that have been vacant for six months or more.
The council says the initiative is intended to increase housing supply and help address local housing shortages — the administration has stated there are over 1,400 households on the housing register, although the council’s published figure was 1,340 households as at 1 March 2024. By offering support rather than relying only on penalties, the council hopes to unblock properties that are causing blight in neighbourhoods and return them to use.
Owners who use the service can obtain formal letters to support eligibility for a reduced rate of VAT (from 20% to 5%) on certain eligible renovation works. The council has also included funding for a second Empty Homes Officer in its 2025/26 budget proposals to help guide owners through the process of making properties habitable again.
Cllr Anne Jones, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing, said the council aims to work with owners to find the right route forward at a time when housing demand is high. The initiative is also intended to help owners avoid additional charges, including council tax premiums that can apply to long-term empty properties — for example, properties empty for 10 years or more may be subject to a 300% premium under current rules.
The new service follows the council’s late-2025 “Dirty Dozen” project, which identified the 12 most neglected sites in the city. Owners can contact the Empty Homes Team directly to report specific barriers to bringing properties back into use and to access specialist advice and signposting.
Empty Homes Team: 01702 534559 | Email: [email protected]
About this article: This story was put together with the help of AI tools and checked by a real person on our team. We're a small crew trying to cover as much of the UK as we can on a limited budget. We're getting better every day - but we're not perfect yet. If something looks off, let us know. You're part of the process.
