Empty Homes
Case reference FOI2025/01235
Received 20 November 2025
Published 5 December 2025
Request
May I ask under the Freedom of Information Act for the following data:
I) Does your local authority have an in-date Empty Homes Strategy?
II) Does your local authority employ a dedicated Empty Homes Officer?
III) What annual budget is allocated to addressing the issue of Empty Homes for 2025/26?
Response
I) Yes, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council have an Empty Homes Policy that can be found using the following - Empty Homes policy
II) No
III) We do not have a dedicated budget to address the issue of empty homes the following is from our housing assistance policy which shows where we can support works to return empty properties into use. The empty property assistance is part of our discretionary policy and the amount available will vary depending upon uptake of other assistance within our policy. Empty property assistance Empty property assistance is available for properties which have been empty for over six months (long term empty). Assistance of up to £20,000 per unit may be available for renovation or conversion to return empty properties into use, on condition that we receive tenant nomination rights for three years. The rent is set at Local Housing Allowance rate. The assistance is repayable. We will place a local land charge for the full amount on the property, requiring repayment upon sale, transfer, or assignment to another person. We may need to change the eligibility requirements and the conditions of empty property assistance due to changing priorities, legislation, national or local demand. No use empty initiative Kent County Council provide interest free loans up to £25,000 per unit, to a maximum of £175,000, for owners to renovate or convert long term empty properties for letting or sale. Loans for properties to let are repayable within three years, and loans for properties for sale are repayable within two years. If the property is sold prior to these dates the loan will become repayable immediately. More information can be found at no-use-empty We provide additional financial assistance to support the No use empty loans, in the form of top up loans of up to £15,000. The repayment conditions are the same as for the No use empty loans.
Documents
This is Tunbridge Wells Borough Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.