Finders International are award winning global probate genealogists. We trace missing heirs to property estates, funds and assets worldwide and offer this service FREE of charge to Empty Homes Officers. We have experience in swiftly locating and engaging with owners of vacant or derelict property and can assist in resolving disputes. Whether the owner is living or deceased, we aim to provide prompt solutions every time.
A full list and further details of our public-sector services can be found here.
We have a dedicated Empty Homes Business Development Manager, Muhammad Uddin, who is able to assist and offer advice in any Empty Homes related matters. Muhammad previously worked in housing for 17 years within the Social Housing and Private Sector Hosting, most recently at a local authority in Leicestershire. He worked as an Empty Homes Officer and successfully brought 196 empty properties back into use.
Muhammad has experience dealing with all empty homes related issues within the private sector, working in partnership with home owners, carrying out property inspections for housing standards, HHSRS property inspections, and offering grants and property maintenance advice to property owners.
Muhammad also managed acquisition with annual budget of between £10m used to purchase empty properties and properties on the market in dealing with the Housing shortage councils are facing.
Case study
BEFORE
AFTER
In Muhammad’s previous work, he worked on a property in Loughborough (picture above) with the help of Finders International and managed to bring it back into use after being empty for 12 years!
The council who were dealing with this property, only had one piece of information to work from – a forwarding address. Despite best efforts to initiate contact with the empty property owner, there was no response and therefore Muhammad had to proceed with enforcement action. Alongside this, the case was referred to Finders International to assist with finding the owner of the property.
Finders International did their investigation work and provided a forwarding address of the owner within a few days. Contact was then established with the owner to organise the property to be sold at auction, which resulted in the council withdrawing all enforcement action and preventing potential costs being incurred to the council; the council were also able to recover years of unpaid council tax. Furthermore, the empty property was purchased by a local family who renovated the house to let out as a family home.
Free Empty Homes events
As well as our tracing work, Finders International also host a number of free training events for Empty Homes officers.
Our next event is the Empty Homes Classroom Session on 29 September, aimed at people in the north-west of England who work in association with empty properties. Specialist solicitors, Fiona Anthony and Chris Burgess from NP Law (Norfolk County Council) will be delivering training on legal solutions for empty properties.
The training course will cover compulsory purchase orders and enforced sales, explain the circumstances in which these solutions might be used and help attendees understand the processes involved in pursuing these routes.
The event takes place on 29 September 2022 from 9:30am – 3:30pm at the Etc. Venues, 11 Portland St, Manchester, M1 3HU. Register here to attend.
For any enquires regarding our services and events, contact Muhammad directly on Muhammad.Uddin@findersinternational.co.uk or 020 3940 0089.
