Thousands of empty homes across city are a 'tragedy'

The data, released this month, reveals 1,942 flats and houses in Norwich are vacant.

In the East of England's as a whole 66,669 properties are empty. This accounts for around a tenth of the national figure of 653,025, or one in 38.

Cities of a similar size to Norwich, such as Oxford, Cambridge and York, had 1,242, 1,437 and 2,392 vacant dwellings respectively.

Norwich sits 90th out of 308 authorities across England, as 2.8pc of 68,141 total homes across the city lay empty - around one in 36.

Jan Hÿtch, partner at Arnolds Keys and chairwoman of the Norwich and District Association of Estate Agents said: "A property standing empty is no good for anybody.

"It's no good for an owner, the property itself and most importantly it's tragic if any of those properties could be homes to somebody who doesn't have one.

"Properties need to be lived in and looked after.

Jan Hytch, residential partner at Arnolds Keys (Image: Arnold Keys)

"Properties that are just left empty because people can't be bothered to do anything with them - that's a tragedy.

"No properties that have been left empty for some time are invulnerable to crime. Places getting broken into are obviously a cause of concern for owners and neighbours as well.

"There are properties being held empty in London where people have invested and never actually done anything with them - they just sit cold to make money.

"I'm not aware of people who generically buy properties up in other parts of the country just to sit on them and hold them. In our general area, they will be properties being bought for a purpose."

2021 research by Zoopla revealed that Norwich renters are being pushed out of the market by "cash-rich Londoners" as prices in the city rose by more than 9pc.

A spokeswoman for Norwich City Council said that increasing the number of homes available in the city is a "key priority".

"When we become aware of an empty property, we contact the owner proactively with advice as well as charging additional council tax to try to reduce the amount of time a home stays empty."

The council also runs the Let NCC scheme, offering significant benefits to owners in return for homes made available for people threatened with homelessness.

'The world's getting much more expensive'

Connor Moore has been flitting between renting and buying in Norwich, but has admitted finding somewhere to live - and in a reasonable price bracket - has been a struggle.

The 25-year-old is scouring the market after his wife Niki landed a job in the city, with the couple living in a campervan over the last year until they find somewhere more permanent.

Connor Moore with wife Niki (Image: Archant)

"We wanted to save money as we were spending so much on rent. It was always meant to be temporary but the longer we've lived in it, it's not getting any cheaper. The world's getting much more expensive.

"I don't know why so many are empty to rot - whether it's because people have bought them and aren't renting them out."