Council steps up investment to bring empty homes back into use

This week (Monday 9 to Sunday 15 March) is National Empty Homes Week, organised by Action on Empty Homes and highlighted by the Empty Homes Network.  

The 2026 theme “Homes into Hope: Impact in our communities” celebrates how bringing long‑term empty properties back into use boosts housing supply, supports neighbourhood renewal and advances climate goals through retrofit and sustainable reuse. 

Hastings Borough Council is pleased to share early progress from its new Empty Homes Programme, supported by recent investment in a dedicated Empty Homes Officer. So far, the programme has been focusing on strong partnership working across council services, collaboration with other local authorities and adopting best practice via the Empty Homes Network. The council is also working closely with the East Sussex Housing Partnership as a new Empty Homes Strategy is developed. 

Early success story: A decade‑long empty home on the path to recovery 

A local property, empty for more than ten years, has recently seen significant progress.  The home had become a blight on the neighbourhood, attracting repeated anti-social behaviour and causing concern for nearby residents. Following the council working with partner agencies, including local police and specialist external advisers, the owner has re-engaged, the home has been made secure, and steps have begun to bring it back into use. Next actions include assessing its condition and preparing it for market.  The sale will also enable the council to progress recovery of debts owed by the owner. 

Tackling empty homes is a vital part of the council’s work to increase the supply of homes, improve neighbourhoods and reduce antisocial behaviour – aligning with this year’s National Empty Homes Week focus on practical, community‑level impact. 

Cllr Glenn Haffenden, Leader of the Council and lead councillor for Housing, said: “I am proud of the council’s investment in a new Empty Homes Officer, which is already helping us achieve real results. Residents frequently tell us we should prioritise bringing empty homes back into use, both to tackle the housing crisis, but also to address the blight that abandoned and empty homes create on a street, so I welcome this early success in what is often a very complex process to make these empty properties into family homes again.” 

Residents who know of a long‑term empty property are encouraged to report it through My Hastings so the council can investigate and support owners.

While Empty Homes Week focuses on bringing empty homes back into use, the council’s regeneration team is also going to be carrying out an audit of Hastings town centre including empty shops in April. This work has been planned for some time, and forms an important baseline assessment of the state of our town centre before the major public realm investment later this year so we can measure the impact of this.