Lord of the Rings Online update aims to put vacant housing back on the market

The next update for The Lord of the Rings Online will clean up vacant homes and prepare to re-release them to the player market, according to a post on the game's official website.

Developer Turbine will issue final foreclosures on homes that have been locked for more than 180 days, after which players have 60 days to complete payments on the house before it is foreclosed. The house will be put back on the market and all items stored in the house will be put into escrow, or taken into custody.

The post notes that player items in escrow will stay there indefinitely, but they must be cleared out before the player can buy a new home.

Clearing up vacant homes will prepare the Lord of the Rings Online housing market for updates scheduled to launch later this year. In the coming months Turbine also plans to shorten the "grace period" for players to straighten out their finances.

"The hope here is that by putting all of the long-dormant homes back on the market current players will find it easier to build close-knit communities with their friends," reads the post.

Turbine promised more information on improvements being made to the housing system will be shared farther down the line.