Leanne Currie, 34, was on her way to visit her mother-in-law with her Labrador Hamish when she noticed an abandoned property in Rugby, Warwickshire.
The empty home is on the same street where Leanne’s mother-in-law lives.
Leanne Currie with her beloved dog Hamish
After spotting the empty mid-terrace house, the teaching assistant reported it to YouSpotProperty.com, a website that awards members of the public for reporting abandoned properties.
It gives £20 Amazon or M&S vouchers when someone correctly spots and reports an empty home.
However, if the company is able to purchase the home, renovate it and get it back into use again, the person who spotted it will receive 1% of the purchase price.
Leanne received a £20 voucher and £610 cash from YouSpotProperty
This is exactly what happened to Leanne, who is a mum-of-two.
She was initially given a £20 voucher but after You Spot Property bought the house for £61,000, Leanne received an extra £610, making her total reward a cool £630.
Leanne, who before becoming a teaching assistant worked as a carer to the elderly for 14 years, said she was inspired to have a look around for empty properties after reading a similar story in the news.
She explained: “I have the app of a national tabloid on my phone, and a few months ago I read a money story about a woman who was paid for spotting empty property in her neighbourhood.
“I did my own research and it all seemed to check out as legitimate, but when I told friends and family about it, I was met with a lot of pessimism about the incentive, that it came across as too good to be true.”
Leanne said she often walked past the house, which “stood out” as it looked “completely run down”.
The woman said the house was a semi, with shoddy tin cladding, well-worn windows and doors, and like most properties in this state, its garden was unkempt and overgrown.
She added an elderly man, believed to be a hoarder, was previously living in the property.
She said reporting the home to YouSpotProperty was “dead simple” as she only had to enter details and a picture of the house.
Leanne explained: “While on a dog walk to my mother-in-law, my husband suggested ‘why don’t you report just that one and see how you get on’ to YouSpotProperty.com which was dead simple as it only required details and a picture.”
The teaching assistant was walking her dog when she spotted the abandoned home
After the home was bought, the dog walker was excited to receive her reward just before Christmas.
She said: “All of this happened in the run-up to Christmas, so it was perfectly timed to help all the additional purchases and was a really welcomed bonus to get for very little effort.
“And to my detractors? I showed them the money in my bank account which could not be argued with!”
Nick Kalms, co-founder of YouSpotProperty.com, said: “Hoarding is more common than not when it comes to our relentless ‘rescues’ of abandoned or long-term empty homes.
“Many empty properties stuck in probate are often hoarded ones.
“And it speaks volumes about the mental health of the last individuals to occupy them – and that’s not something that’s well understood when it comes to dealing with properties that fall into this state.
“We spend a vast amount of our resources on clean-up operations of these houses, both inside and out before we can handle renovation, refurbishment or reintroduction to the housing market.”
In England, there are nearly 700,000 unfurnished and empty homes.
Over 261,000 of these homes are classed as ‘long-term empty’, according to Action on Empty Homes.
According to YouSpotProperty, one of the main reasons properties fall into this state is due to probate – the long legal process of winding up an individual’s estate when they die.
Because of this, many empty or abandoned homes fall into a derelict state.
The condition of these homes also makes it difficult to sell them on the open market, as potential buyers often struggle to gain mortgages when properties need complete renovations.
In similar situations, sellers and estates can dispose of the property, sell it to private buyers such as YouSpotProperty, or sell it by public auction.
Mr Kalms, who founded YouSpotProperty alongside Ben Radstone, said a private sale or auction could be beneficial to reinstate homes that are in bad condition.
The two founders have also launched Probate.Auction, to help families and beneficiaries sell homes at auction or via a private sale, which can be quicker than an estate agent and selling on the open market.
Between 350 and 700 properties are reported to YouSpotProperty every week.
On average, the company gives 150 vouchers worth £20 to consumers around the country for reporting eligible properties.
YouSpotProperty pays out an average of seven, ‘1%’ reward fees each month, for homes they eventually buy, before placing them back into use.
Another Spotter
Just weeks ago, a retired police officer revealed he has made almost £3,000 by reporting empty properties.
Roy Foulkes, 65, usually looks out for vacant homes in his area while out on walks.
Recalling the time he spotted a 1940s-era semi-detached house in the village of Chellaston, just outside of Derby, Roy said: “There were so many red flags about its state.
The garden was heavily overgrown, the paintwork was flaking and it was clear no one was living there.”
Article written by: Chiara Fiorillo, The Sun
https://www.thesun.co.uk/money/29164196/spotting-empty-properties-cash-reward