How to find and develop empty properties

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Posted on 04 August 2025

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This guide walks you through the process of finding empty properties that are worth developing.

 

That disused factory has been standing empty for five years.

 

Everyone drives past it. Nobody stops to take a look.

 

But you can see what they can’t… dozens of modern apartments where machinery once stood.

 

Vacant buildings can offer unique opportunities to developers: less competition, better negotiating positions, and the chance to create something valuable out of those forgotten spaces.

 

With over 400,000 empty residential and commercial properties across the UK, development opportunities exist in every town and city.

 

The key is knowing how to find them, how to purchase them and how to navigate the development process.

 

Empty properties come with specific challenges, from tracking down their owners to dealing with the effects of years of neglect. But if you get it right, you’ll be able to tap into the kind of potential that most people never see.

 

This guide will walk you through the process of finding empty properties that are worth developing. Whether you’re embarking on your first ever development project, or just adding to an existing portfolio, our recommended strategies will help you to transform unwanted, vacant buildings into profitable developments.

 

Locating those empty properties

 

Not every empty building is a good development opportunity. You’ll need to know the difference between temporarily vacant properties and abandoned buildings that are worth pursuing.

 

1.       A fresh ‘For Sale’ or ‘To Let’ sign suggests that a building may only be vacant for a short while. It may not be your ideal target, as buyers or potential tenants may already be lining up.

 

2.      Properties displaying years of neglect often have more motivated sellers. One of the easiest ways to spot these is through your own research. Drive around the area you’re interested in, and look for tell-tale signs:      

•         overgrown gardens
•         boarded up windows
•            broken gutters
•             missing roof tiles
•            deteriorating brickwork

These are all good indicators that a property has been lying vacant for a while and is in need of a new lease of life.

 

3.      Try council data. Most local authorities publish statistics on empty properties, although the quality of those buildings will vary. Business rates records show commercial vacancies and council tax databases also record details of empty homes (although data protection rules can limit the amount of information available). Some councils even maintain empty property registers, so this is worth checking.

 

4.      Get to know the commercial agents who work with local developers in your area. Once they know you’re serious, they’ll call you when vacant properties come up before advertising them.

 

Properties sit empty for a variety of different reasons. Some businesses go bust. Some landlords want silly money that nobody is prepared to pay. Some buildings have real problems, like contaminated land or structural damage. You’ll need to know what you’re dealing with before you think about investing.

 

Identifying and contacting the owners

 

Tracking down the owner of an empty property can be tricky.

 

For residential properties, a £7 Land Registry search will give you the owner’s name and correspondence address.

 

For company-owned properties, check Companies House for details of the directors and registered offices. Sometimes, commercial properties have multiple owners or charges that can complicate a sale.

 

Empty doesn’t always mean unwanted. So, once you’ve identified the owner(s), approach them with a professional letter, email or phone call. Explain your interest in purchasing and developing their property, and find out why they’re sitting on an empty building.

 

Once you understand their problem, make an offer that will solve it.

 

Many owners of long-term vacant buildings feel stuck. Your approach might be the push they need to sell.

 

Planning your empty property development

 

Once you’ve found a promising empty property, it’s time to dig a little deeper:

 

1.       Check if you have Permitted Development rights. These allow you to convert buildings without requiring full planning permission, for instance, offices to flats, or barns to housing. Permitted Development rights can turn a marginal deal into a goldmine.

 

2.       Look up the property’s planning history. What did the previous owners try? What was refused? What permissions expired? Those details could help you understand what the council might accept.

 

3.       Do your research in terms of what the council actually wants:

        ·       Read the Local Plan

        ·       Talk to planning officers

        ·       Understand the game before you play; look at what the area needs

        ·       Match what you want to build with what other people want.

 

Good quality homes will always sell. If you’re looking at a student area, demand is likely to be high for more short-term rental properties. If you’re looking at a business district, flexible workspace could work.

 

4.       Finally, get proper surveys done. They might be expensive, but structural problems will cost you far more in the long run. It’s better to spend a few hundred pounds early on to uncover problems than have to shell out a few thousand trying to fix them later.

 

How platforms like Land Attic are changing the game

 

Here’s the brutal truth about trying to find empty properties on your own: you’ll miss most opportunities.

 

Think about it. You can’t walk or drive down every street. You can’t check every planning application. You can’t possibly know when that perfect property will become available. You’re one person with two eyes and only 24 hours in a day.

 

That’s why community-powered platforms like Land Attic are revolutionising the way people search for empty properties. Thousands of people are out spotting and reporting local opportunities across the UK. Our technology matches those properties to your specific requirements. You’ll receive instant alerts when something fits your criteria.

 

Land Attic shows how powerful this approach is. Local People report empty properties via the simple Land Attic community app. Our platform checks that they’re genuine, figures out who might want them, then fires off targeted alerts. Instead of having to track down that perfect empty property yourself, the right one will find you.

 

How can Land Attic help?

 

Finding empty properties isn’t rocket science, but it does take persistence and a range of different approaches. The most successful property professionals use every method available to them.

 

Land Attic makes this whole process faster and more efficient. It helps you to work smarter, not harder.

 

No more manual searches for needles in haystacks. Our technology and community will do all the heavy lifting for you.

 

All you need is a bit of self-belief: your next opportunity is out there. Maybe it’ll be that building you drive past tomorrow. Maybe it’ll arrive in your inbox tonight.

 

So, if you’re ready to join the Land Attic revolution, sign up now.

 

If you register for free you’ll receive a limited selection of results straight away.

 

Or, for just £30 a month, you’ll be given access to our full database, with notifications of empty properties that often aren’t available on the open market (all tailored to your requirements). The added subscription benefit is that you'll immediately qualify for the full 60 day free trial with geo-spatial planning and land information portal, Land Hawk; a saving of £120! 

 

To get started, click here.

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