Councils Get Power to Take Over Empty Homes After Six Months
· Legislation · 2 min read · LandlordZONE
The EDMO qualifying period drops from two years to six months, with a simplified application process, giving councils faster power to manage (not seize) long-term empty and derelict properties.
Councils Get Power to Take Over Empty Homes After Just Six Months, Down From Two Years
The government is cutting the qualifying period for an Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) from two years of vacancy to just six months, making it significantly easier for councils to take over management of long-term empty and derelict properties.
What an EDMO actually does
An EDMO lets a council take over management of a long-term empty home and return it to occupation for up to seven years - ownership stays with the property owner throughout; the council doesn't seize the property, only its management and control.
Why the process is being streamlined
Alongside the shortened qualifying period, the application process itself is being simplified: councils will no longer need to provide evidential requirements around anti-social behaviour or community support for intervention when applying to the property tribunal for an EDMO. Ministers have also said they'll explore protecting local authorities from absorbing the costs of managing EDMO properties.
The scale of the problem
303,185 dwellings in England were classed as long-term empty (6+ months) in 2025. Yet Propertymark's Freedom of Information research across 226 local authorities found only 38% of councils have an empty homes strategy, and just 25% have a dedicated budget for empty homes work - and per ITV News, no council has actually applied for an EDMO since 2021.
A note of caution from industry
Timothy Douglas, head of policy at Propertymark, stressed EDMOs are aimed at "severely derelict and run down" properties specifically, not every empty home, and cautioned councils to keep engaging with landlords and agents so EDMOs aren't used where repair work is already planned or a property has a realistic prospect of returning to use soon regardless.
What this means for landlords
If you own a property that's been empty for six months or more with no active repair or letting plan, this materially raises your exposure to council intervention - worth flagging to any Proofhold users managing properties currently sitting vacant, especially those between tenancies for extended periods.
Source: LandlordZONE, 28 September 2026