New figures show 700,000 more homes have been delivered in this Parliament with empty homes at a 10-year low, Housing Minister Brandon Lewis has announced.
The figures show the government’s plan to increase house building to help hard-working families onto the property and boost jobs and growth in the British house building industry is working.
The figures show:
in the 12 months to September, there were 138,640 housing starts – an increase of 16% compared to the same period last year, and 84% higher than at the bottom of the housing crash in June 2009
a total of 700,000 new homes delivered in England since the end of 2009
a fall in the numbers of empty homes by 160,000 since the end of 2009 – meaning the number of empty homes in England is now at a 10-year low
The Housing Minister also welcomed the latest figures showing more hard-working tenants taking up their Right to Buy, and an increase in the number of affordable homes built. These show:
between July and September this year, 2,845 council-owned properties were sold under the Right to Buy, with councils in London accounting for nearly a third of these – the second highest total for any quarter since 2006 to 2007
between April and September this year building work started on 11,556 affordable homes – and means almost 217,000 new affordable homes have been delivered since 2010
Housing Minister Brandon Lewis said: "Whether it’s building new homes or bringing empty properties back into use, we have pulled out all the stops and are delivering the homes this country needs.
"There are now 700,000 more homes in England than there were in 2009, house building is up 16% compared to last year, hard-working tenants are taking up their Right to Buy and the numbers of empty homes are now at a 10-year low.
"This is all thanks to the efforts we’ve made since 2010, reforming the planning system, paving the way for developers to do their job and giving aspiring homeowners the help they deserve as part of our wider and long-term economic plan."