South East · report
Empty homes in South East
4.9% of the 4,026,333 homes counted in the 2021 census had nobody usually living in them.
- Empty, 2021 census
- 4.9%
- Empty homes
- 196,005
Against the wider area
Share of homes standing empty in the 2021 census.
| Area | Empty |
|---|---|
| South East | 4.9% |
| England | 5.4% |
Where homes stand empty in South East
Share of homes standing empty at the 2021 census, emptiest first.
| Area | Empty |
|---|---|
| Isle of Wight | 8.3% |
| Thanet | 7.8% |
| Hastings | 7.5% |
| Rother | 7.1% |
| Folkestone and Hythe | 6.7% |
| Eastbourne | 6.7% |
| Brighton and Hove | 6.6% |
| Chichester | 6.5% |
| Slough | 6.5% |
| Swale | 6.3% |
| Oxford | 6.2% |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 6.2% |
| Dover | 5.9% |
| Runnymede | 5.8% |
| Reading | 5.7% |
| Maidstone | 5.6% |
| New Forest | 5.5% |
| Gravesham | 5.3% |
| Elmbridge | 5.3% |
| West Oxfordshire | 5.3% |
| Guildford | 5.2% |
| Tunbridge Wells | 5.1% |
| Canterbury | 5.1% |
| Portsmouth | 5.1% |
| Southampton | 5.1% |
| Ashford | 5.1% |
| Medway | 5.0% |
| Lewes | 4.9% |
| Sevenoaks | 4.8% |
| Wealden | 4.7% |
| Woking | 4.6% |
| Vale of White Horse | 4.6% |
| Winchester | 4.6% |
| Cherwell | 4.6% |
| Arun | 4.5% |
| Tandridge | 4.5% |
| Dartford | 4.5% |
| Waverley | 4.3% |
| Mole Valley | 4.3% |
| Buckinghamshire | 4.3% |
| Gosport | 4.3% |
| South Oxfordshire | 4.3% |
| Spelthorne | 4.2% |
| Reigate and Banstead | 4.1% |
| Bracknell Forest | 4.1% |
| Rushmoor | 4.1% |
| Worthing | 4.0% |
| Mid Sussex | 4.0% |
| Test Valley | 4.0% |
| Surrey Heath | 3.9% |
| Havant | 3.9% |
| West Berkshire | 3.8% |
| Epsom and Ewell | 3.8% |
| Horsham | 3.6% |
| Fareham | 3.5% |
| Milton Keynes | 3.5% |
| East Hampshire | 3.4% |
| Adur | 3.3% |
| Tonbridge and Malling | 3.3% |
| Hart | 3.3% |
| Wokingham | 3.2% |
| Basingstoke and Deane | 2.9% |
| Eastleigh | 2.9% |
| Crawley | 2.5% |
In England and Wales the census counts a dwelling as vacant when nobody usually lives in it and it is not a second home, checked against council tax and other records. Northern Ireland counts household spaces with no usual residents, second homes included, so its share reads higher. Scotland's 2022 census did not count empty homes. The next census is in 2031.
Other reports for South East
Sale prices have an 80% chance of landing between £366,902 and £400,030 by August 2027.
- Expected, August 2027
- £383,466
- Chance of a rise
- 61%
At the average sale price, a home costs £379,953. With 10% down and a 30-year mortgage, the payment is £1,753 a month. The UK sets no cap on the payment; no more than 15% of new mortgages may lend over 4.5 times income.
- Payment, two incomes
- 25%
- Payment, one income
- 51%
Renting the average home costs less each month than owning it. Owning counts interest, running costs and the return the deposit could earn, at the average sale price; rent is the average of all private tenancies. Repaying the loan is saving, so it is left out.
- Rent per month
- £1,438
- Owning per month
- £1,789
25.3% fewer homes were started in the last 12 months than in an average year of the past decade.
- Started, 12 months
- 20,390
- Per 1,000 residents
- 2.1
Figures for United Kingdom: South East has no reliable figures of its own.
Buyers living abroad bought 1.8% of the homes sold here in the four quarters to Q1 2025.
- Bought by buyers abroad, 12 months
- 1.8%
Sale prices have fallen by 3% or more 5 times since 1992. The deepest began in October 2007.
- Deepest fall
- −20.0%
- Recovery from the low
- 57 months
In 2025 the population grew by 53,259 while 24,810 homes were finished: 2.1 new residents for every new home.
- New residents per new home, 2025
- 2.1
- Population change, 2025
- +53,259
In 2025, 12% of the homes added came from existing buildings rather than new ones.
- Homes from existing buildings, 2025
- 12%