More than 1,300 homes lie empty

ROCHDALE has more than 1,300 long-term empty homes (LTEHS), according to new research by Action on Empty Homes.

The number of LTEHS in Rochdale in 2022 is 1,385.

An LTEH is defined as a property that has been empty for more than six months and doesn’t have a statutory exemption from council tax.

Across the country as a whole there are 257,331 LTEHS in 2022. That’s up from 237,340 in 2021, an 8.0% increase.

It means that one out of every 49 properties in England are out of use for residential purposes.

Chris Bailey, National Campaign Manager for Action on Empty Homes, said: “After more than a decade of intense housing crisis it is shocking to see long-term empty homes in England rise to 257,331 - another 20,000 more wasted empties, while nearly 100,000 families are trapped in Temporary Accommodation, costing the nation one and a half billion pounds a year.

“This is good money wasted on often extremely poor quality housing.

“Homeless families need genuinely affordable lifetime homes.

“Long-term empties are a huge missed opportunity to invest in green retrofit and create new jobs.

“Continued growth in long-term empty homes while our housing crisis intensifies sends a clear message: we are failing to meet housing needs and failing to make best use of our existing homes.”

Also according to the research, Rochdale has the lowest number of second homes in Greater Manchester.

Rochdale has 39 second homes.

The next closest borough being Tameside which has 118.

These are homes that are un-lived in, but are fully furnished - and can include holiday lets like Airbnbs as well as “buy-to-leave” properties, which are purchased as investments that are left unoccupied in the expectation that their value will rise.