Home owners in east London who leave homes vacant for more than 12 months face their council tax bill being doubled under plans agreed by local leaders.
Barking and Dagenham Council said it was halving the amount of time homes could sit empty before incurring the 100% penalty in a bid to encourage owners to sell up and solve the area’s housing crisis. Houses could previously be unoccupied for two years before the premium was applied.
Empty homes double in a decade
The number of empty homes in the borough has more than doubled over the last decade, the council said, rising from 202 in 2015 to 410 in 2025.
Senior Labour councillor Syed Ghani, responsible for community safety and enforcement, said: "Every empty property is a missed opportunity to provide a home for residents in need."
New premiums and enforcement powers
Under updated powers agreed by council leaders on Tuesday, the local authority can apply a 100% council tax premium after one year of vacancy, down from two years. Surcharges of 200% will apply to homes empty for more than five years, and 300% for those vacant for more than ten.
Furnished second homes that remain unoccupied will also see council tax doubled to produce an incentive for the home to be sold or to bring in tenants.
Mr Ghani said: "Although empty properties represent a small proportion of the borough’s housing stock, the upward trend in long-term vacant homes highlights the importance of proactive intervention in bringing these properties back into use."
The move follows an announcement by the Labour government last month that local leaders will be awarded stronger powers to take possession of empty and derelict homes so they can be brought back into use.
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner made the announcement at her party conference. She said the policy could bring 300,000 empty homes across England back into occupation.
Waiting lists and enforcement measures
Under the new policy announced in Barking and Dagenham, the council said it will first attempt to help owners of empty homes to let them to families in the borough. As of 2025, more than 6,300 households were on the council’s social housing waiting list, and more than 1,000 were in temporary homelessness accommodation.
If those attempts are unsuccessful, the Labour-run council will be able to use enforcement measures, including the council tax premium. It can also take action to force empty home owners to carry out repairs, clear overgrown gardens, and deal with pest infestations. In some cases, the council can even force an owner to sell their empty home.
Reform UK councillor Ben Suter said it was "really important we get these empty houses back into use". But he questioned whether the council’s approach had "fundamentally changed".
Mr Suter said: "Apart from the council tax premiums, there isn’t any new enforcement action. The same system of going and trying to be nice at first is the exact same it was."
In reply, Mr Ghani said the council has made it the sole job of a member of staff to tackle empty homes. He added that the new ability to charge premiums on more homes was "very important" and would mean the borough has "more power" over the empty home epidemic.
