Sharp-eyed residents could earn themselves a nice financial reward by reporting derelict houses in their neighbourhood to property developers.
Developers are always looking for abandoned properties to buy and bring back to life.
Members of the public who spot one can report it to website YouSpotProperty.com and receive a £20 Amazon voucher reward.
Nice little earner: Developers are always looking for abandoned properties to buy and bring back to life
They will also be given one per cent of the purchase price of the property should the company go on to buy it.
Ivan Jones, from Clowne, Derbyshire, has just received a cheque for £550 after reporting a derelict bungalow that he passes every day when walking his dog, Tommy. The electrical mechanical engineer, 53, received a £20 voucher within two weeks of reporting the property, after it met the company’s criteria.
Then a few months later, he received a phone call to say the building had been purchased for £55,000 and a cheque for one per cent of the sale price would be posted to him.
‘My wife-to-be and I were planning our honeymoon, so it was great to have the money to spend on that,’ says Ivan. ‘I’ll also be pleased to see the bungalow back in use. It will help raise the look of the local area because it will no longer have an eyesore.’
There are around 238,000 empty homes in England alone. They are often left abandoned by families who cannot afford to do them up, by owners who move away or due to probate issues.
Local councils also have a place on their website to report empty or derelict buildings. Details can be found at the Government website gov.uk/report-derelict-abandonedbuilding.
To date, YouSpotProperty.com has sent out more than 6,800 vouchers and 128 people have earned one per cent commission for reporting a home that it later goes on to purchase. The highest commission paid so far was £10,000 to someone living in Hertfordshire.
