Empty Properties Survey
Feedback updated 11 Sep 2025
We asked
Owners of, and people responsible for empty properties in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse to provide information to understand why their property is empty and how we can help to bring it back into use.
You said
200 completed responses were received, of which 123 were submitted online and 77 via email and post. Most respondents were owners of one or more empty property/ies (59 per cent), whilst 28 per cent were responsible for them. With respect to the type and state of the empty property, the reason for buying it and for it being empty, and the length of time it has been empty, the most common responses provided were:
- 22 per cent declared a detached property and 33 per cent said their property had five or more rooms
- 36 per cent of properties were in need of major renovation
- 33 per cent of properties were bought as primary residence
- 37 per cent of properties have been empty for 1-2 years
- In 26 per cent of cases the relevant proprietor of the property had died
We did
Respondents to the survey have been offered help and advice to bring their properties back into use, or they have been considered for further monitoring. Empty property owners who did not respond to the survey will be contacted again on a regular basis. Click on this link to read more about the findings of this survey.
Overview
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White House District Councils are committed to bringing empty properties back into use.
As the owner of an empty home, you are losing potential rental revenue and will have to pay costs for rubbish and garden clearance, graffiti removal or boarding up the home. Alongside increased Council Tax, you will also have to pay increased insurance for an empty or dilapidated property.
Our Empty Homes service offers homeowners information, advice and support to bring their empty properties back into use. Owners could benefit from financial assistance towards refurbishing properties where eligible, and get support with renting out an empty home, including rent in advance and help with finding a tenant.
We would like to hear from the owners of empty properties to understand why the property is empty and how we can help bring it back into use.
This survey will be open for six weeks, from Thursday 6 March until 11.59pm on Thursday 17 April.
What happens next
After the survey closes, the comments received will be analysed and a summary report will be produced. If you have given your consent to get in touch with you, we will contact you to provide bespoke advice and information that can help you bring your empty property back into use. We will also use the information you provide to update the data we hold on empty properties in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse.
Personal Data
In order to get in touch with you with bespoke advice and information that can help bring your empty property back into use, this survey will ask you for your name and contact details. It will also ask you to provide the address of your empty property, which we will use to update the data we currently hold. The personal data requested and/or obtained for Private Sector Housing's Empty Homes Project is lawfully permitted by the Local Government Finance Act 1992 Schedule 2 paragraph 18A(1) and (2) as amended by Local Government Act 2003 Section 85. More information is available in the Private Sector Housing Privacy Policy.
All the questions of this survey are optional, and you don't have to provide information if you don't want to. Your name, address and contact details, and any other personal information you may provide within your comments that could identify you, will not be published in our summary report. Our General Consultation Privacy Policy and Data Protection Policy provide more information on how your personal data will be used and stored.
Areas
- All Areas
Audiences
- General Public
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