Thousands of London homeowners are set to face a huge hike in council tax if their properties are left empty for over a year.
Strengthened rules allowing town halls to double council tax bills on long term empty homes come into force on April 1.
They will now apply when a property has been unoccupied for 12 months, rather than the current two years.
Local authorities will be able to “reinvest” the extra money in public services, the Government said.
Research by the charity Crisis last year found the the number of long-term empty properties had increased in every single English region since 2017.
In London there was a rise of 73 per cent and at the same time rents hit record highs. There are some 34,327 properties classed as "long-term vacant" in the capital, according to the latest government data, with an estimated value of more than £20billion.
Southwark was the borough with the highest number of empty homes at more than 2,400, followed by Newham and Barnet.
Many London councils have already put in place rules for second home owners who keep their properties uninhabited for long periods.
Hackney has already signed off plans to double council tax premiums for the owners of empty properties and second homes from this April.
The borough’s mayor Caroline Woodley said the council has 8,000 families on its housing waiting list and the new measures will “encourage owners to use residential property as much-needed homes, rather than left empty or used as financial investments”.
Westminster council applies a premium of 200 per cent on properties that have not been lived in for more than five years and 300 per cent on homes empty for a decade.
The Department for Levelling Up on Monday confirmed that empty properties that are uninhabitable due to extensive renovation, second homes that are not available for use year-round because of planning restrictions and homes that have been recently inherited will be exempt from the new charges.
Minister for local government Simon Hoare said: “Long term empty properties are shutting local families and young people out of the housing market as they are being denied the opportunity to rent or buy in their own community.
“So, we are taking action as part of our long-term plan for housing. That means delivering more of the right homes in the right places and giving councils more powers to help give local people the homes they need.”
