Dr. Philip Crowe:

Definitions are a massive problem. What do we mean by "vacancy"? There are all sorts of different types of vacancy that we need to understand better. One of the other things we are developing is a taxonomy on vacancy that is linked to and aligned with the adaptive cycle of a building. Every building is constructed and habitable and then disintegrates or is renovated, etc. If you want to design policy that is effective for this general term of "vacancy", you need to know what type of vacancy you are dealing with so that your policy is fit for purpose and tailored to that particular type. We are looking at how we could come up for a code for a building that will tell you a lot, including how long it has been vacant, whether it is voluntary or involuntary vacancy and at what stage of condition the building is at.