Property Matters on Bloomberg TV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XQIMtVcb78

It was a real pleasure to be invited onto Property Matters to sit down with host Steven Galpin and talk about something I'm truly passionate about – the issue of long-term empty homes across the UK.

We covered a lot of ground in our conversation. I shared how empty properties first get onto our radar, and it's often ordinary people who spot them first. Neighbours, delivery drivers, people simply going about their day who notice the tell-tale signs: an overgrown garden, post piling up behind the door, a car that hasn't moved in months, or a building visibly falling into disrepair. These observations matter more than people realise.

I also talked through how we go about tracing ownership – digging through public records, following family connections, tracking down owners who may have relocated abroad. It's detailed, painstaking work, but it's the only way to open a conversation and start moving things forward.

What I really wanted to get across is the human cost of empty homes. It's easy to think of them as simply an inconvenience, but for the neighbours living alongside a neglected property, the impact can be significant. And at a time when the country is facing a very real housing shortage, the moral question of leaving homes sitting unused is one we simply can't ignore.

We also touched on why so many properties end up in this situation in the first place – bereavement, probate delays, family disputes, owners who feel overwhelmed and don't know where to start. There's rarely a simple answer, but there's almost always a way forward.

I hope the conversation is useful listening for anyone with an interest in housing, whether you're a neighbour, a council officer, or someone sitting on an empty property yourself and not sure what to do next.