Investors

The Borough Council has various routes to be able to trace owners for its own needs; this can take a while, but we are usually successful.

The General Data Protection Regulations mean we cannot send out addresses of empty properties.

If you find an empty property and would like to trace the owner, you could try the following:

• Contact the Council - we can forward your details to the owner to make contact with you
• Put a note through the door of the empty property saying that you would like to contact the owner
• Talk to neighbours and any neighbourhood community groups as well as local shopkeepers who may know the owner
• Try contacting the local parish council clerk
• The local Neighbourhood Watch group may be aware of the property, they can be contacted through the local police station.

These methods are free and may work for you.

You could also contact HM Land Registry (opens new window). If the land is not registered, the Land Registry will not have any information. If this is the case you could also try the Local Land Charges Register (opens new window) - this will provide the owner's details if there is a charge against the property or if the owner has filed for bankruptcy.