About the Project
In 2016, the Wise Group identified empty homes (sometimes referred to as “ghost houses”) as a potential additional source of housing supply. We see firsthand the impact that housing instability and accommodation shortages have on people and communities and wanted to examine and better understand empty homes within the New Zealand context.
With funding from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, we undertook the Empty Homes project and an independent feasibility study during 2021 and 2022, in a complex and difficult COVID environment.
The project and feasibility study aimed to:
- define what is an empty home in New Zealand
- engage with property owners to understand more about empty homes and why they are empty
- identify the barriers to returning an empty home into the housing supply
- explore potential support and solutions that would be helpful to return empty homes into the housing supply.
Outcomes and insights
The Empty Homes project delivered:
- a New Zealand-wide empty homes survey and findings
- greater understanding of the barriers to find suitable empty homes for housing market renewal and the support and solutions needed to bring empty homes back into the housing supply, within the New Zealand context
- data, findings, insights and evidence to inform future housing policy
- five empty homes returned to the housing supply as a result of the project, benefitting the property owners, tenants and their whānau, neighbours, and local communities
- a comprehensive Empty Homes Report and Starter Kit to guide any areas and parties interested in implementing an empty homes project in New Zealand.
The Empty Homes report is available to download
Published on: 25 March 2022