More than 500 eagle-eyed Daily Star readers have turned detective to identify hundreds of Britain's ghost homes, earning themselves a financial reward. The campaign with Empty Property Hunters, launched three weeks ago, has resulted in almost 700 empty houses being spotted.
Properties Confirmed and Rewards Issued
Expert researchers have successfully confirmed the status of the vast majority of these 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 for 26 of these properties, with many more progressing through negotiations. Each hunter will earn 1% of the purchase price when the sale is completed.
Based on average UK house prices, the homes identified represent approximately £179 million worth of residential property that could potentially be brought back into use.
Geographical Spread and Notable Finds
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. Notable examples 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 the 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.
- 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.
Dedicated Hunters and Editor's Praise
Some hunters have shown remarkable dedication, with one individual in London submitting over 100 suspected empty homes. Others in Manchester, Southend, and the West Midlands have become regular contributors. One particularly dedicated hunter, Alan, who delivers cars to new owners around the country, keeps his eyes peeled for signs of long-term empty homes while travelling.
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!”
Founder's Perspective and Campaign Goals
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. Britain is in the midst of a severe housing shortage, with 260,000 homes lying 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 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 to Participate
To report an empty residential property, scan the QR code on the Daily Star page or go to the dedicated Daily Star/Empty Property Hunters web page at https://www.emptypropertyhunters.co.uk/dailystar and follow the simple instructions. Happy hunting!
