South West · report
Empty homes in South West
5.7% of the 2,630,834 homes counted in the 2021 census had nobody usually living in them.
- Empty, 2021 census
- 5.7%
- Empty homes
- 150,335
Against the wider area
Share of homes standing empty in the 2021 census.
| Area | Empty |
|---|---|
| South West | 5.7% |
| England | 5.4% |
Where homes stand empty in South West
Share of homes standing empty at the 2021 census, emptiest first.
| Area | Empty |
|---|---|
| Isles of Scilly | 20.0% |
| South Hams | 9.5% |
| North Devon | 8.5% |
| Cornwall | 8.3% |
| Cotswold | 8.0% |
| Torridge | 7.7% |
| Torbay | 7.3% |
| Dorset | 6.2% |
| Cheltenham | 6.2% |
| East Devon | 6.0% |
| Teignbridge | 5.7% |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 5.6% |
| Bristol | 5.5% |
| Forest of Dean | 5.5% |
| Plymouth | 5.3% |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 5.3% |
| West Devon | 5.2% |
| Exeter | 5.1% |
| Somerset | 5.0% |
| North Somerset | 4.8% |
| Gloucester | 4.6% |
| Wiltshire | 4.5% |
| Mid Devon | 4.4% |
| Stroud | 4.3% |
| North Gloucestershire | 4.1% |
| Swindon | 3.9% |
| South Gloucestershire | 3.4% |
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 West
Sale prices have an 80% chance of landing between £291,007 and £326,649 by August 2027.
- Expected, August 2027
- £308,828
- Chance of a rise
- 63%
At the average sale price, a home costs £304,139. With 10% down and a 30-year mortgage, the payment is £1,403 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
- 22%
- Payment, one income
- 45%
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
- £1,251
- Owning per month
- £1,432
6.3% fewer homes were started in the last 12 months than in an average year of the past decade.
- Started, 12 months
- 16,660
- Per 1,000 residents
- 2.8
Figures for United Kingdom: South West 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 7 times since 1968. The deepest began in September 1989.
- Deepest fall
- −26.5%
- Recovery from the low
- 66 months
In 2025 the population grew by 21,984 while 15,060 homes were finished: 1.5 new residents for every new home.
- New residents per new home, 2025
- 1.5
- Population change, 2025
- +21,984
In 2025, 14% of the homes added came from existing buildings rather than new ones.
- Homes from existing buildings, 2025
- 14%