Government to reduce EDMO qualifying period to six months in effort to maximise use of housing stock

EDMOs give councils the power to seize the management of long-term empty homes and return them to occupation for up to seven years while ownership remains with the property owner.

Until now, a property was required to be empty for two years before the council was able to exercise its EDMO powers.

The reforms will also remove evidential requirements relating to issues such as anti-social behaviour or community support for intervention, making it simpler for local authorities to seek an EDMO through the Residential Property Tribunal.

The government says it is still exploring further changes to strengthen the EDMO regime and support councils to use the powers more effectively.

Matthew Pennycook, Minister of State for Housing and Planning, commented on the government's reforms via X:

“It’s not a silver bullet but bringing more empty homes back into use can help solve the housing crisis.”

The timeline for the changes has yet to be announced.