More than 500 super-sleuth readers have spotted almost 700 empty houses through our campaign with Empty Property Hunters and earned themselves a financial reward
An army of eagle-eyed Daily Star readers have turned detective to identify hundreds of Britain’s ghost homes …and earn themselves a financial reward into the bargain.
More than 500 super-sleuth readers have spotted almost 700 empty houses through our campaign with Empty Property Hunters that began three weeks ago.
Expert researchers have successfully confirmed what’s happening with the vast majority of the properties and £20 reward vouchers are on their way for each one that has been empty for a year or more.
Purchases have already been agreed with 26 of those properties and lots more are progressing through negotiations. Each hunter will earn themselves 1% of the purchase price when the sale is completed.
Based on average UK house prices, the homes identified represent approximately £179million worth of residential property that could potentially be brought back into use.
Daily Star Sherlock Homes sleuths have spotted ghost homes across the country, with particularly strong activity in the North West, Yorkshire, the West Midlands and Greater London.
They include:
• A house left empty for over 20 years following a complicated inheritance dispute involving missing beneficiaries.
• A heavily overgrown property where neighbours believed the owner had died, only for our team to trace relatives living overseas.
• A property that has sat untouched for several years because the owners and children remain locked in a bitter inheritance dispute, preventing any progress being made selling the home.
• A house currently standing empty while its owner is spending several years at His Majesty’s Pleasure in jail.
• A former family home sitting vacant for years after probate stalled, leaving the property deteriorating and attracting anti-social behaviour.
• Several homes where owners had moved into care, leaving properties standing empty for extended periods.
There have been remarkable efforts from some hunters, with several individuals identifying multiple empty properties in their local areas.
One in London has submitted over 100 suspected empty homes, while others in Manchester, Southend and the West Midlands have become regular contributors.
One particularly dedicated hunter is Alan, who delivers cars to their new owners around the country. While travelling from town to town, he keeps his eyes peeled for signs of long-term empty homes and has become a regular source of leads for the team.
Daily Star editor-in-chief Ben Rankin said: ‘We’ve always known that Daily Star readers are an amazing bunch, but now we’ve discovered they make brilliant amateur detectives too.
“How great that they are doing their bit to help ease this country’s homes crisis and are making a few quid at the same time. So keep hunting… and let’s find thousands more empty homes!”
Simon Taylor, Founder of Empty Property Hunters, said: ‘What’s been incredible is seeing how quickly Daily Star readers have embraced the mission. Empty homes are hiding in plain sight in almost every town and city, and once people know what signs to look for, they start spotting them everywhere.
“’Every empty property brought back into use is potentially a home for a family and one less property sitting neglected in the community.’
The Daily Star campaign was launched to recruit an army of ‘Sherlock Homes’ sleuths to search out some of Britain’s QUARTER OF A MILLION empty homes and help bring them back into use.
You can become an amateur detective to identify the shameful number of unused, unloved properties across the UK and help ease the country’s housing crisis.
And what’s more, if you are the first person to identify a house that’s been empty for at least 12 months, you could earn a £20 Sherlock Homes reward voucher.
On top of that, if your detective work leads to a sale and an empty home being lived in again, you could earn ONE PER CENT of the purchase price. On a £300,000 average-priced property that could be worth a cool £3,000!
The Daily Star has teamed up with the crack team at Empty Property Hunters, who have already brought hundreds of empty homes back into use.
Britain is in the midst of a severe housing shortage, and their mission is to find homes for thousands of families by bringing back to life some of the 260,000 homes that have lain empty for six months or more.
If all those homes were placed side by side, they would form a street from Land’s End to John O’Groats – and halfway back on the other side.
That shocking figure is only just short of the 300,000 new homes the Government has pledged to build every year. Although last year just 200,000 were completed.
There are currently 382,000 people without a home in England alone.
HOW IT WORKS
To report and empty residential property, just scan the QR code here on your phone, go to the dedicated Daily Star/Empty Property Hunters web page and follow the simple instructions. Or go to https://www.emptypropertyhunters.co.uk/dailystar Happy hunting!