» WITH MORE THAN 300,000 long-term empty properties in England , Empty Property Hunters is on a mission to turn abandoned houses into refurbished homes . To do this we rely on the help of local people to spot empty properties in their area and send in photos to us . And locksmiths are perfectly placed to help ; while earning some serious cash rewards in the process .

Simon from Empty Property Hunters says : “ We are looking for houses in established , residential areas . There are key factors that people can use to spot an empty property . Firstly , they look abandoned and neglected . If you live in the area , you may realise that you have stopped noticing ‘ comings and goings ’, people coming in and out . There is often post behind the door – if you can see in , curtains don ’ t open and draw anymore , and even become tatty or discoloured , the

garden becomes overgrown , and parked cars don ’ t move and start to get weather damaged . If this is one of your neighbours , it will undoubtedly already be an eye sore – especially if you are trying to sell your own house !”

“ Anyone can send in a photo of an empty property to see if it qualifies , but we ’ ve noticed that locksmiths seem to have a skill for spotting the right type of place . Whether locksmiths are on warrant work , local jobs or just seem to have a knack for it ; out of every 10 leads sent in , locksmiths are achieving a 80-90 % success rate in getting their photos confirmed and paid for - £ 20 a time .

“ It seems to be the nature of their work ; similarly posties , delivery drivers , bin men , leaflet droppers and similar . They all know their area well , travel around a lot and take an interest in buildings ; noticing the changes of use and occupancy . There ’ s a lot

of nosey neighbours too and community groups !

“ As well as earning £ 20 for every ‘ verified as empty property ’ lead submitted ; if these are bought by Empty Property Hunters , the locksmiths will earn them 1 % of the purchase price as a finder ’ s fee reward – this could be thousands .”

Locksmiths aren ’ t just earning cash , they ’ re helping address the housing crisis by turning empty houses into homes . With the support of a specialised tracing team , Empty Property Hunters does the hard work of finding owners and purchasing properties , keeping you informed along the way .

One such locksmith is John Le-Surf from JLS Locksmiths who told us : “ I first heard about Empty Property Hunters from another locksmith while I was doing warrant work – just over a year ago .

“ He told me to be on the look out for derelict houses ,

overgrown gardens and properties without ‘ for sale ’ signs then take a picture of them and send them on WhatsApp to Empty Property Hunters . It ’ s as easy as that . “ Since then I ’ ve sent in around 10 pictures and only had a couple that didn ’ t qualify for the £ 20 reward . So far I haven ’ t had one go to the 1 % finder ’ s fee yet but the £ 20 is free money that I ’ m using a fuel for the van , or fuel for me ! And I ’ m definitely enjoying hot food for lunch at the moment , now it ’ s colder . It ’ s a really nice surprise when the money pings in your bank too .