The Story Behind an Empty Home in Preston
Disclaimer: The following is based on historical public records. Names and identifying details have been anonymised and altered for privacy.
At Empty Property Hunters, we often say every empty home has a story.
Sometimes the reason a property is empty is hiding in the most unexpected place.
A recent case brought our research team to a property in Preston that appeared to have been abandoned for years. It was covered in CCTV, suggesting someone was actively trying to keep squatters and vandals away. Yet at the same time, the house was being allowed to deteriorate to an extraordinary degree, with a tree growing through the roof.
A House Kept Empty
When we spoke to neighbours, they confirmed that the property had been empty. This was what made the situation so unusual.
Someone was clearly taking steps to protect the house from unwanted occupants, while apparently allowing the building itself to fall further and further into ruin.
Why would somebody go to such lengths to keep people out, but do so little to preserve the property?
A Provision in the Will
Our breakthrough came when we managed to speak with a member of the family.
The late owner had left a very unusual provision in their Will. The property had been placed into a trust which restricted what could happen to it, with the intention that it could only pass to members of the family rather than simply being sold on the open market.
Suddenly, the reason for the property's strange situation began to make sense. The family could not simply treat the house as an ordinary property and sell it. Yet maintaining a deteriorating building can be expensive and difficult, particularly when nobody is in a position to live there.
The result is a house caught in between.
When The Law Holds A Property In Place
Sometimes a property becomes empty because an owner dies, family members lose contact or an estate becomes difficult to administer. Sometimes, as in this case, the explanation is much simpler.
A legal provision can restrict what the family is able to do with the property, even while the building continues to deteriorate around them.
There are limits to how long property can generally be tied up in this way. For trusts created by instruments taking effect after 5 April 2010, the statutory perpetuity period is generally 125 years.
Let’s hope this house does not have to wait anything close to that long.
A House Waiting For Its Future
For the family and for us, the options are currently extremely limited.
The intention behind the Will may have been to preserve the property within the family, but the practical consequence has been a house falling into serious disrepair while remaining empty.
At this stage, we can only hope that the council considers whether compulsory purchase could provide a way forward and prevent the property from continuing to deteriorate. We would love to see this house brought back into use, rather than watching it slowly disappear.
Found an Empty Property?
If you've spotted a property that appears empty or neglected, there may be a far more complicated story behind it.
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