Empty houses

Abstract

Homelessness has nothing to do with a shortage of houses. There is a ‘crude surplus’ of about two thirds of a million dwellings over households in the United Kingdom. Most stand empty. It is naive to imagine that by pairing homeless families with empty houses the housing problem can be solved overnight. Many vacant premises are unfit and out of date; others are simply in the wrong place. But the non‐occupation of so many dwellings is wasteful; the loss of rent from empty council dwellings alone amounted to £79m in 1984. Studying the problems of empty buildings, how they deteriorate after vacation and the inadequacy of current protective legislation throws into relief the need to cope with increased expectations for the longevity and performance of all old buildings. The public prefer the preservation and rehabilitation of buildings to clearance and redevelopment. This mood is encouraged by disillusion with modern architecture, an increased awareness of the inherent qualities of old buildings and plain nostalgia. The widespread distrust of modern buildings — particularly public housing — is borne out by a recent estimate of repairing and replacing faulty council flats of between £3,750 and £5,000m. Already Britain has more protected historic buildings and monuments per head than any other country in the world. The number of ‘listed’ buildings is likely to double in the next few years. The post‐war boom up to 1972 was marked by major increases in public services and support for industry. This was halted abruptly by the collapse of the world export boom, the banking crisis and the quadrupling of oil prices and, since the late 1970s, there have been successive attempts to curb public expenditure. Public expenditure has fallen over 58 per cent in cost terms between 1979/80 and 1983/84 and at the same time public expenditure on housing fell from nearly 6 per cent to 2 per cent of the total. Successive English house condition surveys show that the condition of our housing stock is steadily deteriorating. Traditionally, buildings are built to last for 60 years and are funded and valued on this basis. Even when public spending on houses was at its height, however, it would not have been possible to replace the then existing housing stock in less than a century. At the present level of expenditure, it has been estimated that in one London borough alone it will take 1,000 years to replace the housing there. Leases are regularly granted for 99 or 125 years on flats in buildings already over a century old, often without the blocks being subjected to major repair. If buildings have to last longer, changes in the law and building practice are needed to ensure ready protection without financial penalty. Examining empty buildings in distress — particularly those that are not ‘listed’ — is a good way to start. This first article examines the laws which apply to empty buildings and how they fall short. Subsequent articles will examine the costs of leaving buildings empty, consider current initiatives for rescue and put forward positive proposals for change.

Citation

Catt, R. (1986), "Empty houses", Structural Survey, Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 244-253. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb006236