The idea for You Spot Homes was born out of frustration—and a deep belief that things could be done differently.
As property professionals and community members, we kept seeing the same thing across towns and cities all over the UK: empty, boarded up, and derelict homes just sitting there, year after year. Perfectly good properties falling apart while families struggled to find affordable housing.
We started digging into the numbers—and what we found was shocking.
There are currently over 250,000 long-term vacant homes in the UK. These are properties that have stood empty for more than six months, often deteriorating, attracting anti-social behaviour, and becoming eyesores in otherwise vibrant neighbourhoods.
Meanwhile, thousands of people are on social housing waiting lists, living in temporary accommodation, or unable to afford rising rents.
It didn’t make sense.
Why were so many homes being wasted, while the housing crisis continued to worsen?
We knew that many of these properties were hard to find, often tucked away in local streets, missed by developers and councils alike. But the people who walk those streets every day—residents, commuters, posties, dog walkers—they see everything. What if we could empower everyday people to be part of the solution?
That’s when You Spot Homes was created.
We built a simple platform that lets anyone report an empty or derelict home in their local area. In return, we offer a meaningful reward—because spotting these hidden opportunities has real value. From a £30 voucher for a qualified lead to 1% of the purchase price if we buy it, we’re creating a way for people to earn extra income while helping fix a broken part of the system.
But more than that, we’re building something bigger: a nationwide network of everyday spotters helping to bring homes back into use, one property at a time.
This is about making housing work for people again.
This is about community-powered change.
This is You Spot Homes.
