Repairs and voids
Void property works for social landlords
Empty homes brought back to your lettable standard, with a clear scope, a price and a handover date.
Void property works are the repairs and improvements carried out while a social home is empty between tenancies, so it meets your lettable standard before the next household moves in. Done well, they cut void days and rent loss and avoid early repair calls from the new tenant.
How do we approach void property works?
We survey the empty home against your lettable standard, price the scope, then work to a target handover date. Minor voids are usually decoration, cleaning, safety checks and small repairs; major voids can include kitchens, bathrooms, rewires, heating, damp works and asbestos-related planning.
What is included?
- Void inspection against your lettable standard, with photos
- Clearance, deep clean and pest treatment where needed
- Plastering, making good, decoration and flooring to your spec
- Kitchen and bathroom repairs or replacement
- Electrical and gas safety checks and remedial works, with the engineers' registration confirmed in writing before appointment
- Damp and mould treatment and the causes behind it
- Security, key control and utility meter readings
- Handover pack with certificates and photographs
What do we hand over at the end?
- Pre-works and completion photo sets
- Electrical and gas certificates from the engineers who did the work
- Itemised scope with any variations agreed
- Meter readings and key log
Who is this service for?
- Housing associations with rising void numbers
- Councils with a backlog of empty homes
- Temporary accommodation providers
- Main contractors needing void capacity
Process
How does each job run?
Key release and survey
We collect keys, photograph the home and check it against your lettable standard and any asbestos information you hold.
Scope and price
You get an itemised scope (minor or major void) with a price and a target handover date before works begin.
Works and checks
Trades are sequenced so certificates and safety checks finish first, then making good, decoration and cleaning.
Handover
We return keys with a photo set, certificates and a list of anything outside scope, so the home is ready for your lettings team.
Rules by nation
Which rules shape void property works in each UK nation?
The legal duties sit with the landlord. These are the rules that set the timescales and standards we work to, as checked on 31 October 2026.
Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, the presence of asbestos must be assessed (or presumed) before work that could disturb it, and a refurbishment and demolition survey is needed before intrusive work in buildings built or refurbished before 2000. Licensed asbestos work is carried out only by licensed contractors.
Since 1 December 2025 (new tenancies) and 1 May 2026 (existing tenancies), social landlords in England must have electrical installations inspected at least every five years and complete remedial work within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so. Electrical equipment the landlord supplies must also be checked at least every five years.
Gas work done for payment must be carried out by a member of the Gas Safe Register (Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998). Landlords must have each gas appliance and flue checked at least every 12 months and give the record to the tenant within 28 days. We confirm the registration of the engineer for your job in writing before appointment.
Social homes in England must meet the Decent Homes Standard, enforced through the Regulator of Social Housing's Safety and Quality Standard. A reformed standard, confirmed in January 2026, must be met by 2035 at the latest.
Decent Homes Standard (England)Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, the presence of asbestos must be assessed (or presumed) before work that could disturb it, and a refurbishment and demolition survey is needed before intrusive work in buildings built or refurbished before 2000. Licensed asbestos work is carried out only by licensed contractors.
The Renting Homes (Wales) fitness regulations require a valid electrical installation condition report (EICR), no more than five years old, for social tenancies, with a copy given to the contract-holder.
Gas work done for payment must be carried out by a member of the Gas Safe Register (Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998). Landlords must have each gas appliance and flue checked at least every 12 months and give the record to the tenant within 28 days. We confirm the registration of the engineer for your job in writing before appointment.
Social landlords in Wales work to the Welsh Housing Quality Standard 2023, which has applied since 1 April 2024, with all homes to comply by 31 March 2034.
WHQS 2023 (Wales)Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, the presence of asbestos must be assessed (or presumed) before work that could disturb it, and a refurbishment and demolition survey is needed before intrusive work in buildings built or refurbished before 2000. Licensed asbestos work is carried out only by licensed contractors.
The Scottish Housing Quality Standard requires an EICR at least every five years. The Scottish Housing Regulator has treated homes without a valid report as failing the standard since the 2021/22 return.
Gas work done for payment must be carried out by a member of the Gas Safe Register (Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998). Landlords must have each gas appliance and flue checked at least every 12 months and give the record to the tenant within 28 days. We confirm the registration of the engineer for your job in writing before appointment.
Social landlords in Scotland must meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard, with energy efficiency rules (EESSH2) under review ahead of a new Social Housing Net Zero Standard.
SHQS (Scotland)Northern Ireland has its own asbestos regulations, the Control of Asbestos Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012, enforced by HSENI. Asbestos information is checked before intrusive work, and licensed work is carried out only by licensed contractors.
Northern Ireland has its own housing and safety rules. We confirm the electrical inspection and remedial requirements for your homes in writing before appointment.
Northern Ireland has its own gas safety regulations, the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004, enforced by HSENI. We confirm in writing, before appointment, who will carry out any gas work and the registration they hold.
In Northern Ireland, the Housing Executive and registered housing associations work to the Northern Ireland Decent Homes Standard, which the Department for Communities consulted on revising in 2025–26.
Decent Homes Standard (NI)Guide prices
What do void property works cost?
Rounded planning figures with their sources and VAT basis. Your price depends on the survey, your specification and the region. Use our programme budget tool for a regional estimate.
| Item | Unit | Guide range | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor void (safety checks, repairs, decoration, clean) | per void | £1,500–£3,500 | Our estimate: No published minor/major split exists; Dudley's May 2025 monthly average of £2,451 is the only low anchor we found. VAT basis: our estimate, ex VAT. |
| Major void (kitchen, bathroom, rewire or heating) | per void | £6,000–£15,000 | Our estimate: Built from the kitchen, bathroom and rewire rows on this page. VAT basis: our estimate, ex VAT. |
Prices checked 31 October 2026. See all guide prices and regional factors.
Questions
Void property works: common questions
What is the difference between a minor and a major void?
There is no single sector definition. Most landlords call a void minor when it needs only safety checks, small repairs, decoration and cleaning, and major when it needs a kitchen, bathroom, rewire, heating or structural work. We use your definitions when we price.
How quickly can you turn a void round?
It depends on the scope, access to certificates and whether asbestos work is needed. We give a target handover date with every quote and tell you as soon as anything threatens it.
Do you work to our lettable standard?
Yes. Send us your lettable or void standard and we price against it, item by item.
What about asbestos?
If the home was built before 2000, we check your asbestos register before disturbing anything and ask for a refurbishment survey where intrusive work is planned. Licensed removal is carried out by licensed contractors.
Can you take a batch of voids at once?
Yes. We can price a batch on a per-property basis or agree rates for minor and major voids.
Related
Which services often go with void property works?
Acquisition and temporary accommodation refurbishment
Homes bought or leased by councils and housing associations, made ready for households to move in.
Learn more
Kitchen replacement programmes
Kitchens replaced to your specification in occupied homes, planned so each kitchen is out of use for as short a time as possible.
Learn more
Damp and mould remediation
Mould treatment plus the fix behind it: ventilation, insulation, leaks and cold spots.
Learn moreFurther reading: Electrical safety in social housing: EICRs and remedials · Procurement Act 2023 for social housing works · Frameworks, dynamic markets and direct awards