empty residence; vacant house
Refers to an unoccupied house or mansion, often implying a large, possibly old, residential property that is currently vacant.
The number of vacant houses is increasing in this town.
The management of empty residences has become an issue.
Used for a plot of land where a house once stood or where building is possible, but currently empty. Less common than sense 1.
A new apartment building was built on what was once an empty lot.
空き地 is the standard word for an empty lot or vacant land, whereas 空き屋敷 can also refer to the land itself but with a nuance of a former residential site.
Standard spelling with okurigana, clearly indicating the reading.
Kanji spelling without okurigana; less common than 空き屋敷 but still encountered.
Compound of 空き (aki, 'empty') + 屋敷 (yashiki, 'residence, mansion'). The kanji 空 means 'empty' and 屋敷 refers to a large house or estate.