What vacant property management involves

Homes sit empty for ordinary reasons. A gap between tenants. A sale that is taking longer than expected. An inherited house waiting for probate. An owner working abroad for a year. Whatever the reason, an empty property still has to be looked after.

Vacant property management covers the jobs that keep it in good shape and protected while no one is living there:

• Regular inspections: checking for leaks, damp, break-ins and pests.
• Utilities: keeping heating ticking over in winter, or draining down the water system if the home will be empty for a long spell.
• Post and keys: redirecting mail and knowing who holds access.
• Paperwork: telling the council and the insurer, and keeping records of visits.

Commercial buildings often use security firms or property guardians. For a residential home, the job is usually simpler, but the costs of getting it wrong, from a burst pipe to a refused insurance claim, add up quickly.

Council tax on an empty property

An empty home still pays council tax in most cases, and a home left empty for long enough can pay more. The rules below apply in England. Wales and Scotland set their own.

Discounts

There is no national discount for an empty home in England. Some councils offer a short discount or exemption for unfurnished properties, and some offer nothing, so check your own council's policy.

The long-term empty homes premium

Since 1 April 2024, councils can charge a premium on a home that has been unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for at least one year, according to government guidance. The maximum premium rises with time:

• Empty for one to five years: up to 100%, so up to double the normal bill.
• Empty for five to ten years: up to 200%.
• Empty for ten years or more: up to 300%.

The second homes premium

From 1 April 2025, councils can also charge up to 100% extra on furnished homes where no one lives as their main home. A council has to announce the premium at least a year before it starts charging it.

Exceptions

Some homes are excepted from the premiums for a period. Two of the most common: a home that is actively being marketed for sale or let, for up to 12 months, and the home of someone who has died, for 12 months from the grant of probate.

Insurance when a property is empty

This is where empty homes most often catch owners out. Many standard home and landlord policies include an unoccupancy clause, commonly kicking in after 30 to 60 days without anyone living there. After that, cover for theft, vandalism or water damage can be reduced or lost.

Three things to do before the property has been empty that long:

• Read the unoccupancy clause in your current policy and note the exact number of days.
• Tell your insurer the property is empty, even if you expect it to be let or sold soon.
• Check the conditions. Unoccupied cover often requires regular inspections, water turned off or drained down, and the property kept secure.

Specialist unoccupied property insurance exists for longer gaps. It usually costs more than standard cover, which is one more reason an empty home is expensive to hold.

Keeping an empty home in good condition

A simple routine prevents most of the problems that empty homes develop.

Every visit

• Walk every room and check ceilings and under sinks for leaks.
• Run taps briefly and flush toilets to keep traps sealed.
• Clear post from the doormat, since a pile of letters signals no one is home.
• Check windows, doors and locks.

In winter

Frozen and burst pipes are the biggest risk. Either keep the heating on at a low setting or drain down the water system, and follow whatever your insurer requires. Watch for damp and condensation, which build up quickly in a cold, closed house.

Outside

Keep the garden and front of the property tidy. An overgrown garden advertises that a house is empty, and a neglected exterior makes a sale or letting harder later.

The law on empty homes

There is no law against leaving your own home empty. But councils have tools to bring long-term empty homes back into use, and the council tax premiums above are the most common.

The strongest is the Empty Dwelling Management Order, or EDMO. With approval from the First-tier Tribunal, a council can take over the management of a long-term empty home, carry out work and let it, recovering its costs from the rent. The owner keeps ownership throughout.

At present a home has to have been empty for at least two years before a council can apply, a rule in force since 2012 according to the House of Commons Library. On 27 September 2026 the government announced it will reduce that period to six months and remove some of the evidence councils currently need. It has not yet said when the change takes effect.

In practice councils use EDMOs sparingly, usually after trying to work with the owner first. But the direction of policy is clear: long-term empty homes are becoming more expensive and harder to leave alone.

Letting instead of leaving it empty

For many owners the cheapest way to manage an empty property is to stop it being empty. Even a gap of a few months can be let.

• Short lets suit gaps with no fixed end date, or a home that may be sold, since you keep control of the calendar.
• Mid-term lets of one to six months suit contractors and people relocating, and fit neatly between long tenancies.
• Long lets suit homes that will not be needed for a year or more. Tenancies now run under the Renters' Rights Act, so plan for that before choosing this route.

A let property is no longer a long-term empty home, and the property is lived in and checked by default. Furnished short lets are treated differently for council tax and can fall under a second homes premium or business rates, so check how yours would be treated, and see our guide to holiday let taxes. Our comparison of short lets and long lets covers the income side, and if you own several homes, our portfolio landlord guide explains how lenders view them.

Houst offers full Airbnb management for homes that would otherwise sit empty, and our income calculator gives an estimate for your address in a couple of minutes.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Speak to a qualified adviser about your situation.