ASK YOUR MP TO TAKE ACTION ON EMPTY HOMES

As a constituent where you live, your views and interests are a priority to your Member of Parliament.

You can write to your MP on any local issues and it’s an important way to let them know what your concerns are and to encourage them to take action on those concerns.

If you believe, as we do, that action must be taken on empty homes you can write to you MP about it. You can do this by email or by letter.

You can find out your MP’s contact information here

You can look up how many empty homes are in your area under ‘Regional Breakdown’ here (look for your area and then look at the final column in yellow to find 1 in X homes are empty)

Download a basic MP letter template here

TOP TIPS FOR WRITING TO YOUR MP

  • Keep it simple, succinct and clear. Ideally, your letter will include an introduction on why empty homes are important to you, a bit on the impact it has in your local area, with a final note on what you want your MP to do about it.

  • Avoid using technical terminology as much as possible. For an MP, no more than 3-4 paragraphs is best. they receive lots of letters, so keeping it simple makes it easier for them to grasp the issue and respond.

  • Before you write anything, take a look at the MP’s website if they have one, or their voting record in parliament. You may be able to reference some of the issues they’re interested in, or a particular time they supported efforts related to housing. Mentioning something they’re interested in or have done in the past can help your letter to stand out and make them more likely to take action.

  • Make it personal. If you have a personal experience related to empty homes in your area, talk about it. Perhaps there’s an empty home near you that attracts anti-social behaviour or that is an eyesore. Perhaps you’re stuck in temporary accommodation or at risk of being homeless and are angry that so many empty homes stand empty. Perhaps you’re having trouble buying or renting a home in your local area because of low housing stock and high demand - things that could be alleviated by more empty homes being brought back into use. Tell them about it.