What is included
This database tracks individual properties, not area totals. A record is only added when a public source gives an address-level entry that we can check against a newer edition of the same source. Statistics that only count empty buildings by council area are used elsewhere on this site, not here.
Sources
- Barnet Council, Empty Commercial Properties — monthly business rates list of empty non-domestic properties. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey, Site Register — annual register of vacant and derelict sites, with council-recorded owners and development potential. Scottish local authorities are the original data owners.
- Test Valley Borough Council, business properties with exemptions — monthly list of empty business premises receiving an empty-property rate exemption (company ratepayers only). Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Newcastle City Council, business rates empty properties — quarterly list of empty business premises with exemptions or empty-property relief.
- Croydon Council, empty properties report — quarterly list of empty business premises, with ratepayer, rateable value and exemption start date.
- Watford Borough Council, empty business rated properties — quarterly list with the date each property became empty.
- South Ribble Borough Council, business rates data — full business rates list; only properties the council marks as empty are included.
- Sutton Council, business rates accounts — full list of accounts; only properties the council marks as empty are included.
- Freedom of Information responses — councils sometimes release address-level empty property lists on request. These are added by hand and dated.
- postcodes.io — postcode locations, council and county, from the ONS Postcode Directory. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right; Contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right.
- OpenStreetMap — map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.
What each column means
As published by the source. Scottish land sites often have no postcode, so we show the nearest postcode to the site centre, marked “near”.
The local authority comes from the source or the postcode. County is the ceremonial county in England and Wales, and the council area in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Commercial (from business rates lists), Land / site (from vacant and derelict land surveys) or Residential (added only where an address-level record is released).
The category the source records, such as the business rates exemption that applies, or whether a site is vacant or derelict. “Vacant since” is the date or period the council recorded.
The date of the newest edition of the source that still lists the property. Each source is checked daily. When a property disappears from a newer edition it is marked “no longer listed” and hidden unless you tick “Include no longer listed”.
The ratepayer or owner named by the source. For an empty property the business rates ratepayer is usually the owner or leaseholder, but not always the freeholder. Names of private individuals are withheld. Use the Companies House and Land Registry (or Registers of Scotland) links to confirm the title owner, and see any research notes we have added.
An indicative note based on the vacancy status, how long the property has been empty and, for Scottish sites, the council’s view of development potential. Where we have researched a property, our own note replaces it. This is not investment advice.
A link to the publisher’s dataset page, so every record can be checked against the original.