Over 200,000 long-term empty homes in England

England has 200,145 long-term empty homes according to an analysis of government figures by an investment company.

In London alone, there were 19,845 homes sitting idle for over six months in 2016 - that is £9.4 billion worth of property, taking into account the average price in London of £474,704 says the firm, Property Partner.

Birmingham was the worst performer outside London with 4,397 properties sitting empty - up 13 per cent in a year - with an estimated value of £956m.

Bradford had the second highest figure outside London at 3,944 followed by Liverpool on 3,449.

The tables have turned in London where one of the most deprived areas has swapped places with one of the wealthiest as the capital’s worst performer.

Prime property hotspot Kensington & Chelsea has London’s highest number of long-term vacant homes with 1,399 empty, up 8.5 per cent on last year and a rise of 22.7 per cent in a decade. Taking into account the Royal Borough’s unusually high average property prices, this would give the homes an estimated value of £2 billion.

Previously, last place in the capital had gone to Newham which has staged a remarkable turnaround in 12 months, slashing the number of empty homes by 55 per cent to 593 from 1,318 in 2015.

Property Partner analysed the latest data from the Department of Communities and Local Government, looking at long-term vacant dwellings in England between 2005 and 2016.

Over the last decade the number of long-term vacant homes in England has dropped 36.4 per cent from 314,719 in 2006 but it has barely moved year-on-year, showing a drop of 35 per cent in the decade to 2015. The estimated value of empty property in England now stands at £43.5 billion.