Wales Has 38,058 Empty Homes, Latest Figures Reveal 2026

Key Points

• Wales has 38,058 empty houses in total, of which 23,033 are vacant for over six months
• Swansea is at the top with 2,014 vacant houses, the highest number in any local authority in Wales
• The National Empty Homes Grant provides funding worth up to £25,000 but requires ownership of property first
• Premiums on council tax on empty homes have almost doubled in 2022, from 6,718 to 12,357 empty houses
• First time buyers are unable to get finance as the house is not able to be mortgaged
• Applications for the Carmarthenshire grant end on September 30, 2026

Swansea (Wales Times) September 16, 2026 – With 38,058 empty homes scattered across Wales, housing advocates and property experts are calling for urgent reforms to help ordinary buyers access vacant properties that currently remain locked behind financing barriers. uk/local/swansea/">Swansea alone accounts for 2,014 of these empty dwellings, making it the local authority with the highest number of vacant properties on council tax books in Wales.

What Is the Scale of Empty Homes Across Wales?

The Welsh Government’s figures for 2026-27 reveal that 38,058 properties stand empty across the nation, with 23,033 of those having been vacant for more than six months. According to reporting by Jon Hill, owner of Cymru Cash Buyers, writing in Business News Wales, the number of properties paying an empty homes council tax premium has almost doubled since 2022, rising from 6,718 to 12,357.

Swansea’s 2,014 empty homes represent a significant concentration in a city where residents remain on housing waiting lists. Councils across Wales have been increasing tax premiums on vacant properties, yet the problem continues to grow despite these measures.

Who Owns These Empty Properties and Why Are They Vacant?

As reported by Jon Hill of Business News Wales, the common perception that empty homes belong to landlords sitting on assets does not reflect reality. Hill stated:

“I deal with, for example, a woman in her sixties who inherited her mother’s house four years ago, got a survey back saying it needs a roof, rewiring and a damp course, and cannot find £45,000.”

Hill further explained that he deals with families stuck in probate for three years while houses deteriorate, and properties belonging to people who moved into care without anyone having authority to sell. None of these owners wanted empty houses; they ended up with them because renovation costs exceeded their financial reach, and the longer properties sat vacant, the higher those costs became.

What Government Support Exists for Empty Home Buyers?

The Welsh Government operates the National Empty Homes Grant, which offers up to £25,000 to make empty properties safe and energy efficient. According to Hill’s analysis in Business News Wales, the scheme is genuinely open to first-time buyers, not just existing owners, and requires a 15% contribution plus a commitment to live in the property as a main home for five years.

However, a critical limitation exists: applicants must already own the property or be in the process of buying it to access the grant. Hill noted: “You can only get the grant once you’ve bought the house. You can’t buy the house without a mortgage. You can’t get a mortgage until the house is renovated.”

This creates an impossible circle for buyers without cash reserves. No mainstream lender will advance mortgages on properties without working kitchens or bathrooms, or those with structural movement, fire damage, serious damp or knotweed. Consequently, only cash buyers can purchase these properties, locking out first-time buyers who would benefit most from affordable housing opportunities.

What Changes Would Enable First-Time Buyers to Compete?

Hill proposed three reforms that could transform access to empty homes without significant expense relative to current costs. First, acquisition finance alongside the grant: a bridging facility from Welsh Government or local authorities, secured on the property and repayable when works complete and buyers refinance onto normal mortgages.

Second, eligibility confirmation before purchase would allow buyers to receive decisions in principle on grants before committing to purchases. Currently, buyers must purchase uninhabitable houses hoping funding follows. Third, better communication about the scheme’s existence is needed. Hill stated:

“In four years of buying empty property I have never once had a vendor mention it, and almost no first-time buyer I’ve spoken to knows it applies to them.”

In Carmarthenshire, applications for the grant close on September 30, 2026, meaning many intended beneficiaries will not discover the scheme in time.

What Tax Penalties Apply to Empty Home Owners?

Welsh councils can charge premiums of up to 300% on second homes and long-term empty properties, with rates set individually by each council. Swansea’s 2026/27 position shows a 100% premium on long-term empty homes, resulting in a Band D bill of £4,476.58 compared to the standard £2,238.29.

The empty homes premium structure applies after properties remain unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for at least one continuous year. Despite these increasing penalties, the number of empty properties continues to rise, suggesting current measures are insufficient to return vacant dwellings to use.

Background of the Empty Homes Development

The empty homes crisis in Wales has developed over several years, with the Welsh Government using annual local authority council tax dwellings data to track vacant properties. In February 2026, industry stakeholders called for a national strategy to bring empty homes back into use. The affordable homes programme 2021 to 2026 provided grant funding to support capital costs of developing affordable housing, including bringing empty homes back into use through purchase and repair or lease and repair.

The Welsh Government reported 22,558 chargeable empty homes in Wales for 2025/26, though more recent figures show 38,058 total empty properties. Councils have increasingly used their powers to charge higher premiums, yet enforcement and taxation alone have not resolved the underlying barriers preventing ordinary buyers from accessing these properties.

Prediction: How This Development Could Affect First-Time Buyers

If the proposed reforms to the National Empty Homes Grant are implemented, first-time buyers in Wales could gain meaningful access to affordable housing currently dominated by cash investors. Acquisition finance bridging facilities would enable buyers without substantial cash reserves to compete with professional property purchasers, potentially reducing the discount at which empty properties sell.

However, without intervention, first-time buyers will remain locked out of approximately 38,000 properties across Wales, perpetuating housing inequality in a nation where Land Transaction Tax offers no first-time buyer relief unlike England’s Stamp Duty system. The concentration of empty homes in areas like Swansea, where 2,014 properties stand vacant while residents wait for housing, suggests geographic mismatches that targeted finance reforms could address.

The closure of grant applications in Carmarthenshire on September 30, 2026, illustrates the urgency: without extended deadlines and improved communication, thousands of intended beneficiaries will miss opportunities to access support designed for them. Long-term, failure to reform could see empty home numbers continue rising despite tax penalties, as structural financing barriers remain unaddressed.