Europe faces a deepening housing crisis, with severe shortages and escalating rental prices. Vacant properties and second homes present another dimension to this issue. In England, there were 1.5 million unoccupied dwellings in 2021, accounting for 5.4% of all housing units such as houses or flats, according to ONS estimates. Paying extra council tax (a “premium”) for empty houses has already been implemented in a number of local councils for a decade, although the rules vary. The strengthened empty homes premium came into effect in April. It now applies for properties that have been empty and…