Void days build up while a home waits for keys, certificates, asbestos information and long-lead work such as kitchens. You cut them by inspecting early, ordering the right checks at the start and sequencing trades around them, not by skipping them, because the Housing Ombudsman has said that homes must be safe and decent before residents move in.
Void days build up while a home waits for keys, certificates, asbestos information and long-lead work such as kitchens. You cut them by inspecting early, ordering the right checks at the start and sequencing trades around them, not by skipping them. In April 2026 the Housing Ombudsman said "homes must be safe and decent before residents move in".
What drives void time?
- Keys and access: keys not returned, lock changes, and belongings or rubbish that must be cleared before anyone can survey properly.
- Certificates: a copy of the gas safety record must go to new tenants before they move in, and the electrical installation must have a current inspection (see below). Waiting for engineers, or for supplies to be reconnected, holds up everything after.
- Asbestos: before work that could expose workers, you must assess whether asbestos is present or assume that it is (Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, regulation 5). The HSE says a refurbishment and demolition survey is needed before refurbishment work, especially in buildings built or refurbished before 2000. Licensed work, such as sprayed coatings, pipe lagging, loose fill and most asbestos insulating board, needs a licensed contractor. Notifiable non-licensed work, such as steaming off textured coatings, must be notified online before it starts.
- Kitchens and other major items: when your void standard triggers a kitchen, rewire or heating replacement, lead times and the number of trades grow.
- Damp and mould: causes left unfixed during the void pass to the new tenancy, where Awaab's Law timescales apply.
Who decides whether a void is minor or major?
You do. Minor and major void definitions are the landlord's own. Published policies, such as Castle Point's (October 2025), define them by scope and turnaround time rather than cost, and no reputable public source splits void costs between the two.
Classify at the first inspection rather than at key return, and send the classification and target date with the order. If you capitalise major void works, say so at order stage, because it affects how the work is scoped, costed and recorded.
What should your lettable standard cover?
Your lettable standard is your own document. It should say what is checked, what is replaced and what is left, so every void is judged the same way. Common contents include:
- security, including lock changes;
- gas, electrical and alarm safety;
- freedom from damp and mould;
- a working kitchen and bathroom;
- cleaning, clearance and decoration;
- gardens and outbuildings;
- floor coverings, where your policy provides them.
Legal minimums sit underneath it. In England, the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 require a smoke alarm on every storey with living accommodation, and a CO alarm in every room used as living accommodation that has a fixed combustion appliance (except a gas cooker). The reformed Decent Homes Standard, to be met by 2035, requires homes to be free from damp and mould, with no floor-coverings mandate. Wales differs: WHQS 2023 requires floor coverings in habitable rooms, stairs and landings at change of tenancy (see Wales standards).
How should you sequence trades?
A typical sequence for a void with works:
- Inspect and order: classify, photograph, and order surveys and long-lead items such as kitchens straight away.
- Clear and secure: clearance, lock change and isolations where needed.
- Asbestos: check the information, or complete the survey, before any intrusive work.
- Strip-out and first fix: electrics, plumbing and joinery.
- Plastering, making good and damp remedies.
- Kitchen and bathroom fit, then second fix.
- Testing and certificates: gas, electrical and alarms.
- Decoration, flooring and cleaning to your standard.
- Final inspection and handover.
Overlap trades only where it is safe and the work allows. Housing associations, councils and ALMOs are commercial clients under CDM 2015, so where more than one contractor works on a void you must appoint a principal designer and a principal contractor.
What did the Housing Ombudsman say about voids in 2026?
No statutory or Regulator of Social Housing "zero-tolerance void standard" has been found. "Zero tolerance" was the Ombudsman's 2021 recommendation on damp and mould.
In a ruling on Plexus on 23 April 2026, the Ombudsman said "homes must be safe and decent before residents move in" and urged landlords to review their void processes. Speed targets should not push hazards into the tenancy. Once a home is let, Awaab's Law timescales apply to damp and mould and to emergency hazards. Phase 2, approved by Parliament in October 2026, applies from 30 November 2026 and adds excess cold, excess heat, falls, structural collapse, fire and explosions, electrical hazards, and domestic hygiene, including pests. See Awaab's Law timescales.
Which electrical rules apply to new tenancies?
SI 2025/1043 extends the electrical safety standards to social tenancies granted from 1 December 2025, and to existing tenancies from 1 May 2026.
- Installations: inspected at least every 5 years, with the report sent to the tenant within 28 days.
- Remedials: within 28 days, or any shorter period in the report, with written confirmation to the tenant and the local authority within 28 days of completion.
- Equipment you supply: checked at least every 5 years and before each new tenancy, with unsafe items fixed within 28 days. The guidance cites the IET in-service inspection code.
- Penalty: up to £40,000.
At each void, check the date of the last installation report and any outstanding remedials, and test any equipment you supply. See the electrical safety guide.
What do voids cost?
| Figure | Source | Period |
|---|---|---|
| About £3,700 per void, derived from more than £1.1bn across about 300,000 voids | Housemark data (45 landlords), published 11 February 2025 | 2023/24 |
| £5,695 per void | Dudley Council, reported 28 September 2025 | 2024/25 |
| £4,627 per void | Dudley Council, reported 28 September 2025 | Q1 2025/26 |
| £5,120 per void | Moray Council, APSE slides | 2024/25 |
None of these sources states whether VAT is included. Dudley's single month of May 2025 averaged £2,451, the only published low figure found. Costs depend on what your void standard triggers, clearance, asbestos, damp, and whether major voids are capitalised. See guide prices.
What should a handover pack contain?
Ask for one pack per void, filed against the property:
- the gas safety record, ready for the new tenant before move-in;
- electrical installation report status, remedial confirmations and equipment checks;
- smoke and CO alarm checks;
- asbestos information used, and any removal records;
- works completed against your lettable standard, with before and after photos;
- meter readings, keys issued, and manuals and warranties for new items;
- component data, such as a new kitchen's install date, for your asset records (see stock condition and planned works).
This guide is not legal advice. Check the current regulations, or take advice, for your own tenancies.
How we help
We carry out void works to your lettable standard and classification, sequencing trades around the surveys and certificates each home needs. We return a handover pack with each void for your records. See void property works or ask for a quote.
Common questions
Is there a national void standard?
No statutory or Regulator of Social Housing void standard has been found. Your lettable standard is your own, though the Housing Ombudsman has urged landlords to review their void processes.
What electrical checks apply when a home is relet?
The installation must have been inspected within the last 5 years, and electrical equipment you supply must be checked before each new tenancy. Your own void standard can go further, for example by testing at every void.
Do the same electrical rules apply in Wales and Scotland?
No. SI 2025/1043 applies in England. In Wales, a valid EICR no more than 5 years old must be given to the contract-holder within 14 days. In Scotland, the SHQS requires an EICR at least every 5 years.
Can some works be finished after a home is let?
That is a policy decision for you, but anything affecting safety or decency should be done first. Keep any post-let work to minor items, agree it with the new tenant, and record the date it will be done.
Sources
- Housing Ombudsman: Plexus ruling, 23 April 2026
- SI 2025/1043: electrical safety standards extended to the social rented sector
- Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidance
- Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 36
- Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022
- HSE: asbestos, what you must do
- Inside Housing: empty properties cost the social housing sector in 2023/24
- Black Country Radio: council cuts spending on empty home repairs
Checked 31 October 2026. This guide summarises the rules for planning purposes and is not legal advice; check the current legislation or take advice for your own case.
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