A dad who earns extra cash simply by spotting empty homes during his working day has revealed how the unusual side hustle made him nearly £3,000 richer.
Paul Dixon, 49, says all it takes is a quick photo and a few seconds of his time. He started making money by spotting long-term empty homes while carrying out his regular job as a leaflet distributor.
Armed with nothing more than his phone, Paul photographs properties he believes have been vacant for years and submits them to Empty Property Hunters, a company that investigates abandoned homes and works to bring them back into use.
The rewarding side hustle that started by accident
Paul stumbled across the opportunity after discussing the growing number of empty homes he and his colleagues were seeing while delivering leaflets.
"We started chatting and just got onto this conversation, and no one could believe how many empty properties there were in the city," he said.
"I wouldn't say it got our backs up, but it did annoy us a bit."
Days later, he discovered Empty Property Hunters and realised he could get paid for reporting genuinely empty homes.
How much can you earn?
Paul receives £20 for qualifying properties he reports.
In some cases, if a reported property is eventually purchased through the company's network, spotters can also receive a referral payment worth 1% of the purchase price.
Last year alone, Paul says he earned around £2,500 through the scheme and has now pushed his total earnings close to £3,000.
"I've reported hundreds and hundreds of properties," he said.
On one trip to Grimsby, he claims to have spotted around 200 potentially empty homes in a single weekend.
"It must have been one in 10 homes," he said.
The £2,000 holiday it paid for
Rather than spending the money on bills, Paul decided to use some of his earnings to create a special memory with his wife Karen.
The couple booked a luxury break to Dublin, including hospitality at the Dublin Racing Festival, sightseeing and visits to some of the city's biggest attractions.
"We'd never normally spend that kind of money, but we had a luxury hotel suite, hospitality at the races, we went to the Guinness factory and did all the sightseeing stuff," Paul said.
"It was the best holiday."
"It mattered more because I made this money from my little side venture – and I wanted to make a memory with it."
What makes a home look empty?
According to Paul, many vacant properties are surprisingly easy to spot.
Signs can include:
- Overgrown gardens
- Large amounts of post building up
- Boarded-up windows
- No visible activity for long periods
- A neglected appearance
"It's usually quite obvious when a property is empty," he said.
"An overgrown garden or post on the doorstep, in the letterbox or through the windows inside."
'Anyone can do it'
Paul insists he doesn't spend extra time searching for empty homes and simply keeps an eye out while working.
"They're all over the place these days," he said.
"And we're not going out of our way to spot them. The nice thing is it's not costing us anything."
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For people looking for a simple way to earn extra cash, he says the barrier to entry is low.
"It takes just 30 seconds to snap an empty home and you could earn £20 – or much, much more if you're lucky. Give it a go."
Simon Taylor, founder of Empty Property Hunters, said: "It's fast and simple, and anyone can do it."
"The next time you're out and about, keep your eyes peeled for an empty home, it could make you a little or a lot of money."
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