As we kick off this first issue of our property newsletter, we wanted to start by posing some questions to you all.

Did you know that occupied properties are 70% less likely to be broken into? Additionally, did you know that Guardians occupying properties during a decanting phase of a regeneration scheme can not only help reinstate council tax receipts, but also reduce local crime rates, speed up the selling process for new build phases and generate income for local small retail businesses? Surprised? Well don’t be. The fact of the matter is that there are thousands of empty properties across the UK, all awaiting answers around what happens next.

Did you know that boarded up properties lose up to 30% of their value? Did you also know that boarded up properties bring down the value of the local communities they reside in? Although you may not be surprised by either of these, they are worth considering given the 600,000 plus empty properties across the UK. Whilst the government continues to commit to a raft of new houses in every part of the country, as property managers we have the opportunity to house people in buildings that already exist (for example care homes, old fire stations, flats, even the odd mansion). What’s more, did you know that in many cases Guardians who occupy empty buildings often pay all of the bills, meaning you don’t have to?

One final question for this first issue is did you know that we work with upwards of 58 local authorities, 40 housing associations and 15 NHS bodies across the UK? No? Well you do now…