Labour’s plans to let councils take control of homes left empty for just six months have been branded a “PR stunt” by a property expert.
The warning comes amid concerns that cash-strapped councils cannot afford the repairs needed to bring thousands of empty properties back into use.
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner announced the plans at Labour’s annual conference last week, proposing to cut the time a property must be empty before councils can intervene from two years to six months.
Elliot Castle, chief executive of We Buy Any Home, warned that the changes would achieve little without extra funding.
Under the plans, councils would be able to take control of empty properties and rent them out, although the homes would remain privately owned.
The Government also wants to remove rules requiring councils to prove that empty homes are causing problems, such as anti-social behaviour, before stepping in.
Ministers are considering ways to protect councils from the costs of managing these properties.
Mr Castle, who has 25 years of property investment experience, estimates that more than 150,000 of England’s 300,000 empty homes are not fit to live in and would need major repairs.
“So ask yourself this question: who’s going to pay for that? Is the local authority going to pay for that?” he said.
He added: “The last time I checked, we have local authorities with no money. They can’t even afford to keep up their own infrastructure, their own roads. They can’t afford to do basic services.”
Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook has insisted the radical shake-up may ‘help solve the housing crisis’ | PA
Mr Castle suggested the Government should instead offer grants to help homeowners repair empty properties and bring them back into use.
Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook has said the reforms could “help solve the housing crisis”, while Labour insists the measures would target long-term empty homes rather than properties being renovated or sold.
However, the plans have also faced criticism from Conservatives.
Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake accused Labour of threatening property rights, writing on social media: “The loony left are always keen to revoke our fundamental rights when it becomes convenient to do so; on this occasion, property rights.”
The Government can offer grants to help homeowners repair empty properties and bring them back into use
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PAMr Hollinrake added: “Seizing someone’s home because you disapprove of how they use it is classic socialist authoritarianism.”
Former Brexit Minister Lord Frost warned Britons not to “risk leaving your house empty”, cautioning that after six months “the Government will come for it and rent it to someone else”.
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss went further, branding supporters of the policy “commies”.
Not all parliamentarians were critical, however. Emily Thornberry, MP for Islington South and Finsbury, welcomed the announcement.
Ms Thornberry said: “If you leave a home empty long-term in the middle of a housing crisis, it should be seized.”
Official figures show that 303,185 homes in England had stood empty for six months or longer as of October 2025, representing a rise of more than 14 per cent on the previous year.
Those vacant properties accounted for 1.2 per cent of the nation’s total housing stock.
However, the vacancy statistics include homes emptied for refurbishment, those awaiting probate, and properties being prepared for sale.
Mr Castle argued that families dealing with bereavement, who often wait months for an estate to be settled, should be exempt from council intervention.
Despite councils having held the power to apply for Empty Dwelling Management Orders for more than two decades, ministers have acknowledged that not a single request has been made since 2021. The current two-year threshold was introduced by the coalition Government in 2012.