Britain is crying out for more homes. Yet across the country, gleaming new apartment blocks are sitting eerily empty! A bizarre housing contradiction is taking shape as thousands of newly built flats fail to find buyers, raising fears that Britain's housing crisis is being matched by a growing army of "ghost homes".

From London and Manchester to Leeds, Bristol and Cardiff, developers continue to build high-density flats designed to tackle the shortage of homes. But many buyers are turning away, leaving expensive new properties unsold while families struggle to get onto the housing ladder.

The problem appears especially severe in London, where it is estimated that more than 3,500 completed homes remain unsold. Some were even intended as shared-ownership affordable housing, highlighting the growing disconnect between what is being built and what people are prepared or able to buy.

One newly completed block, finished almost a year ago, illustrates the problem. Despite being fully built, very few lights appear on at night. One possible reason is the asking price, with ordinary-looking one-bedroom flats being marketed for almost £1 million.

The slowdown has been building for some time. In May last year, figures sparked outrage after revealing that only 19 newly built homes for private sale had been sold in London. The Government blamed Britain's slow and costly home-buying process, including complex conveyancing and delays involving conveyancers and estate agents.

Construction continues, but at a slower pace than in previous years. That poses a major challenge for Labour's ambition to deliver 1.5 million new homes, with flats expected to play a crucial role in meeting that target.

The picture was very different in the past. Between 1997 and 2007, flats were among England's fastest-growing property types, increasing by an average of 13 per cent each year. Even after the financial crisis, growth continued at roughly three per cent annually as flats remained popular starter homes, city bases and buy-to-let investments.

Today, however, affordability has become a major obstacle. Even modest developments are frequently marketed as luxury homes. In Cardiff, for example, buyers face paying more than £400,000 for a two-bedroom flat.

The wider housing market has also shifted dramatically. House prices climbed to record highs over the past three decades before London's market stalled slightly following the post-pandemic boom. Higher interest rates have made mortgages harder to obtain, while inflation has pushed up construction costs, squeezing both buyers and developers.

Concerns stretch beyond price alone. Many prospective buyers have become wary of the so-called new-build premium, where newly built flats lose value in the short and medium term, much like a new car leaving the showroom.

Other long-running problems have further damaged confidence. Unsafe cladding, poor construction quality, expensive service charges and disputes involving leaseholders and freeholders have left many owners trapped in homes they struggle to sell. The aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire also exposed serious building safety issues, making some buyers reluctant to purchase flats at all.

Adding to the uncertainty, the Government's Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill has been delayed following disagreements between 10 Downing Street and the Treasury over plans to cap costly ground rents. Until reforms become clearer, many potential buyers may choose to wait rather than commit to purchasing a flat.

Housing market expert Neal Hudson believes these issues have fundamentally changed attitudes. He says the building safety crisis and Britain's leasehold system have made flats far less desirable, with most buyers preferring to purchase a house whenever they can afford one.

Developers are responding by slowing construction starts, particularly in London, where apartment schemes dominate. But that creates another dilemma because houses remain hugely expensive, with the average home now costing almost eight times the average income.

Labour now faces a difficult balancing act. Achieving its ambitious housing target will depend heavily on building more flats, yet confidence in the market remains fragile. Unless reforms restore trust, Britain risks creating more sparkling new towers that stand largely empty while the housing shortage continues to bite.

Ghost flats are becoming Britain’s new housing crisis

The only people that can afford to live in these apartments will be the ones arriving at Dover' today and every sunny day way into the future by the sorry look of it 🤔

Poor business plans? Misreading market potential? I mean, how many families can afford one million pounds for an "ordinary looking one bedroom flat"? Also, the developers need to build higher to bring the prices down. The condos in the photo are not 'gleeming towers' are they. There are also too many building restrictions in major cities like London. The councils need to let revenue owners of drafty old Victoria 4-floor houses flatten them and replace them with real condo towers 20-30 stories high (like we see in most other cities) - building higher spreads the expensive land costs better per unit, hence lower prices.

Starter flats at 1M pounds, hardly surprising nobody buys them. Just imagine how Burnham's one percent a year property tax would affect any owners!

OP photo looks OK - you would be able to cook without getting out of bed!

A whole new meaning to "breakfast in bed"!

The condos here for B1.2M are 5x5 shoeboxes. How much would they go for in the UK? Fit a family of 5 in there easy!

17 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

The only people that can afford to live in these apartments will be the ones arriving at Dover' today and every sunny day way into the future by the sorry look of it 🤔

Immigrunting again.

Do you ever actually pause to try and figure out a logical explanation for how your inmigrunting statements could even come close to making any sense?

25 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Immigrunting again.

Do you ever actually pause to try and figure out a logical explanation for how your inmigrunting statements could even come close to making any sense?

Tell that to the people of Stoke Heath in Shropshire where they were told a new estate would be for social housing only to find a load of asylum seekers are moving in…

Tell that to the people of Stoke Heath in Shropshire where they were told a new estate would be for social housing only to find a load of asylum seekers are moving in…

Another example of someone who needs to at least try pause to try and figure out a logical explanation for how your inmigrunting statements could even come close to making any sense.

The plan which was not to place asylum seekers in social housing has been scrapped scrapped:

“Outline planning permission was granted for 25 dwellings at the site in 2015. The dwellings were approved as open market housing”

https://next.shropshire.gov.uk/resettlement-refugees-and-asylum-seekers/dutton-close-stoke-heath/

Edited July 27Jul 27 by Chomper Higgot

Surely the government can buy them to house "new" Brits ?

They may prefer 5* hotels though.

I believe most people like a connection with the land and do not want to be forced into an expensive shoe box flat, smaller than a prison cell, 20 floors up.

In England, this disconnect started with the traditional feudal system where "The Lord" had expansive lands, rivers and forests to frolic and hunt in while the serfs were crammed into small villages waiting for a chance to serve the master.

Never having had a French revolution, and guillotine, the attitudes towards the privileged families and unequal distribution of land persist.

Even today just 1% own 50% of land in England.

40 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Immigrunting again.

Do you ever actually pause to try and figure out a logical explanation for how your inmigrunting statements could even come close to making any sense?

The logical explanation would be the UK government renting them and placing immigrants in them, a little like the current immigration hotels work.

Hardly any thought required, unless you're a lefty that can't think and only obey!

Edited July 27Jul 27 by BritManToo

Surely the government can buy them to house "new" Brits ?

They may prefer 5* hotels though.

Maybe there’s a problem with a housing market building chicken box apartments few can afford and fewer still appear willing to buy, while failing yo build the social housing the nation needs.

The fault of which must of course be must immigrants or at the very least cause for immigrunting.

Edited July 27Jul 27 by Chomper Higgot

The logical explanation would be the UK government renting them and placing immigrants in them, a little like the current immigration hotels work.

Hardly any thought required, unless you're a lefty that can't think and only obey!

Well of course that would be a logical explanation if it were happening.

My own thoughts are the housing market is broken, these empty ‘not very de-res’ are simply a symptom of how it is broken.

Just now, Chomper Higgot said:

Well of course that would be a logical explanation if it were happening.

My own thoughts are the housing market is broken, these empty ‘not very de-res’ are simply a symptom of how it is broken.

Easy fix for the housing market,

Remove all barriers to building homes, no planning permission, no inspections. Let everyone live in caravans, pod homes, yurts, etc. on any land they can buy, borrow, or get permission from the land owner.

Easy fix for the housing market,

Remove all barriers to building homes, no planning permission, no inspections. Let everyone live in caravans, pod homes, yurts, etc. on any land they can buy, borrow, or get permission from the land owner.

The biggest obstacle to that is current house owners.

There will never be a free and open housing market in the UK, too many votes attached to the prices of homes.

34 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The biggest obstacle to that is current house owners.

There will never be a free and open housing market in the UK, too many votes attached to the prices of homes.

Of course,

As a Marxist I want to overthrow the rich.

7 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Of course,

As a Marxist I want to overthrow the rich.

The obstacle you your laissez-faire housing plan, itself an odd thing for a professed communist, is not the rich, rather it’s the middle class, or if you prefer, the petit bourgeoisie.

24 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The obstacle you your laissez-faire housing plan, itself an odd thing for a professed communist, is not the rich, rather it’s the middle class, or if you prefer, the petit bourgeoisie.

That's your interpretation,

I'm more death to the titled, and the Fabians.

Along with their families of course.

2 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Immigrunting again.

Do you ever actually pause to try and figure out a logical explanation for how your inmigrunting statements could even come close to making any sense?

I have paused and figured out your type' for sure your even making up " inmigrunting" words then accuse me of not making sense 🤔

In the meanwhile, white Britons sleep rough on the street.

4 minutes ago, connda said:

In the meanwhile, white Britons sleep rough on the street.

Yes, the UK housing market is broken, it’s been broken for decades.

The cracks are now big enough not to be easily ignored.

26 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

I have paused and figured out your type' for sure your even making up " inmigrunting" words then accuse me of not making sense 🤔

Yes of course, you paused to make a personal attack.

In truth hardly a pause at all.

2 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Another example of someone who needs to at least try pause to try and figure out a logical explanation for how your inmigrunting statements could even come close to making any sense.

The plan which was not to place asylum seekers in social housing has been scrapped scrapped:

“Outline planning permission was granted for 25 dwellings at the site in 2015. The dwellings were approved as open market housing”

https://next.shropshire.gov.uk/resettlement-refugees-and-asylum-seekers/dutton-close-stoke-heath/

Thanks for the link.

'This required three of the homes to be affordable housing: two affordable rented homes and one low-cost ownership home.'

Good to see that common sense prevailed and asylum seekers will not be taking this affordable housing/rented away from the good people of Stoke Heath,

11 minutes ago, connda said:

In the meanwhile, white Britons sleep rough on the street.

Lets be fair, British people of colour are also sleeping rough on the streets (along with many veterans who have served the country), all this whilst illegal immigrants turn up by the boat load each day and get instant food and housing, not to mention free medical treatment etc etc etc........

3 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Immigrunting again.

Do you ever actually pause to try and figure out a logical explanation for how your inmigrunting statements could even come close to making any sense?

Chumper has a new buzzword by the look of it.

Those that can afford to buy are wealthier landlords looking to rent.......but with increasing tenant protection, the removal of mortgage relief and increasing taxes on rent landlords are looking to the stock market instead.

It has taken me five months to evict a non-paying tenant and he caused £11,000 of damage the night before the bailiffs called........rents have increased, but it is not attractive market to be in anymore.

8 minutes ago, Tidal wave said:

Chumper has a new buzzword by the look of it.

It’s a Neologism that perfectly captures the pathological reflex of some on the forum to insert immigrants/rubber boats/asylum sealers into any topic the post in regardless of any mention of these in the subject OP.

Immigrunting, from the verb to immigrunt.

A snorting like pathological response that afflicts some on the political rightwing in which a seemingly involuntarily response forces them to insert immigrants/rubber boats/asylum seekers into any topic whatsoever.

34 minutes ago, connda said:

In the meanwhile, white Britons sleep rough on the street.

Only whites?

21 minutes ago, MIke B Bad said:

Those that can afford to buy are wealthier landlords looking to rent.......but with increasing tenant protection, the removal of mortgage relief and increasing taxes on rent landlords are looking to the stock market instead.

It has taken me five months to evict a non-paying tenant and he caused £11,000 of damage the night before the bailiffs called........rents have increased, but it is not attractive market to be in anymore.

It was always a grubby way to make money.

Sorry to hear about the damage.