Why do properties become and remain empty?
In most cases this is because the owners need assistance, support, information, or encouragement to help return empty homes to use. However, there are numerous other reasons that properties remain empty. These reasons include, but are not limited to;
- Probate
- Estate or legal ownership issues
- Financial implications
- Requires renovation and/or building work
- Reluctance to let/sell
- Health issues
- Or simply unaware of support options
Currently, 1 million homes in England stand empty – while over 250,000 people in England are locked out of secure housing and in need of a home.
Daniel Curran, MD Finders International comments; “Each empty home denies a household somewhere to live.
Returning an empty home back into use has many benefits that include generating potential income for the owner and increasing property value, reducing the risk of crime and vandalism for the property and the local area, providing accommodation for others to use, contributing to the regeneration of an area, increasing spending in the local economy and helping to protect the value of the surrounding area.”
Unfortunately, if left empty, properties can fall into disrepair or become ruinous or dilapidated, attract vandalism, antisocial behaviour and crime, cause damage to adjacent properties, and possibly health issues for neighbours through lack of maintenance or reduce the value of the property and the surrounding area.
Danny Curran continues; “If an empty home is causing issues for your local area, please share details of the property with us and we can trace the empty homeowner. Many thousands of viable empty properties lie vacant or derelict around the country. Where the owner has or is thought to have passed away, we can trace next of kin efficiently and engage with them directly to bring the home back into use. If the empty property owner is living, we can try and re-engage with them to try and resolve any issues around the empty property.”
Daniel Curran and his team at Finders International specialise in tracing owners or their next of kin to empty homes. If you would like to report an empty home in your area, you can do via their website, here.
Winners of ‘Best UK Probate Research Firm 2023’, Finders International trace beneficiaries to these unclaimed estates. They have a team of experienced and qualified genealogists who are experts in tracing people and property, using a variety of methods, including online research, public records, and interviews with family and friends.
In this interview with Trish Adudu on BBC Radio Coventry & Warwickshire’s Danny Curran gives insight into the world of Unclaimed Estates. With over 30 years of experience in the industry, he details the initial steps on how to best proceed if you presume you are entitled to an estate, breaks down the probate process and recalls his most memorable and rewarding cases to date.
Finders International are regulated by the IAPPR. You can contact them via their website or call them on 0207 490 4935.
This is a submitted article
