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Search the Public Notice PortalA Basildon home has stood empty for more than 25 years, as demand for housing grows across the borough.
A Freedom of Information request found 1,887 empty homes across Basildon, including one vacant since August 6, 2000.
The council recorded 58 homes empty for more than five years and 530 vacant for more than a year.
The figures have prompted concerns from councillors and housing campaigners, who say more should be done to bring long-term empty homes back into use at a time when many residents are struggling to find affordable accommodation.
Basildon councillor Victoria Joseph called the figures “quite striking”, especially the number of homes left empty for years.
She said: “I think the figures are quite striking. There are over 50 homes which have been empty for more than five years, not to mention the one which has been empty since the year 2000.
“There will be different reasons why different properties have not been put to use. We must ask questions as a council about what is happening with these homes, especially when we have residents waiting for social housing and pressure and demands for affordable homes.
“They are not just properties, they are homes. If we have homes empty for decades we, as a council, need to be thinking what we are doing about it.”
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A HARP spokesperson said the figures were concerning given the housing crisis across South Essex.
They said: “It is concerning to hear that so many homes are sitting empty across Basildon when people across South Essex are facing homelessness and desperately need somewhere safe to live.
“While we recognise that there can be legitimate reasons for properties being unoccupied, and we do not know the background to these statistics, homes that have been left empty for years represent a significant missed opportunity, particularly at a time when there is such an urgent need for housing in our communities.”
The council said it has employed an empty homes officer only since August 2024.
Since then, council action has brought 28 properties back into use.
The council also confirmed it has issued no Empty Dwelling Management Orders in the past five financial years.
The council’s 10 longest-standing empty homes are in Billericay, Basildon, Wickford and Laindon, with several vacant since the 2000s.
A separate FOI found that 193 Basildon Council-owned homes were vacant, while 3,835 households were on the council's social housing waiting list.
The council's housing services have also received the lowest possible judgement from the Regulator of Social Housing, which cited failures including tenant safety and hazard management.
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