Vacant Houses

There are more than 7 million vacant houses, or rather, unoccupied houses, across the nation. It was reported that out of every 7 houses, 1 house is left empty or unoccupied. Many of these houses are left dilapidated and are an eye-sore to the neighborhood. Many are in danger of collapsing and are prone to fires. As the population ages, more and more houses are vacated, and it is estimated that in another 20 years, the percentage of vacant houses compared to the total number of houses could rise to 25%.

The situation is made worse by the government policy of taxing more on vacant land than on built-land. Once a vacant house is demolished and the land upon which it stood is left empty, the holder of that land will have to pay higher property taxes than if he were to leave the house standing. Another major reason why old houses are not demolished is because it can cost up to US$20,000 to get rid of it.