For most people, a broken car clutch is the sort of expense that leaves you dreading the garage bill. But for Laura O’Connor, 47, from South Birmingham, the bad news was softened by a surprise £1,900 payout from a house she’d reported to a little-known property website.
Ms O’Connor, who works remotely for the NHS as a clinical coder, discovered the site – YouSpotProperty.com – during the Covid lockdowns while browsing the “ways to earn extra cash” section of the Money Saving Expert website.
She said: “I was looking for more ways to make money, like so many people during Covid. I’ve always been interested in firms where consumers can earn money or vouchers, or mystery shopping.”
YouSpotProperty encourages people to report empty or neglected homes. The company offers vouchers for qualifying reports and, if it later purchases the property, shares 1% of the purchase price with the person who originally flagged it.
Since discovering the scheme, Ms O’Connor has reported around 20 properties. But her biggest return came from a house she didn’t even spot herself.
She said: “It was actually my partner in Leicester. He was out walking the dog one evening and passed a mid-terrace house that looked incredibly run down — overgrown garden, unloved, completely unkept. We’d spoken before about how it might qualify, so he took note.”
They submitted the tip-off and received a £20 M&S voucher after it was confirmed as eligible.
Fast-forward three years, Ms O’Connor received a very welcome call. It was YouSpotProperty informing her that it had completed the purchase of the house for £190,000, triggering a £1,900 reward.
Ms O’Connor chose to split the money with her partner. She said: “He’d done the legwork, and it only felt right.”
The money arrived just in time. She said: “The day before, my car had gone into the garage and I’d been told it needed a new clutch. My half of the reward went straight on that. My partner used his on his hobby — AirSoft guns.”
While this was her biggest reward to date, Ms O’Connor has also received £40 in vouchers from other reports that met the site’s criteria.
She doesn’t see it as a guaranteed income stream, more a side hustle that occasionally pays off.
She said: “I’ve always appreciated that it’s not a quick turnaround — this was never a get-rich-quick scheme. We were quite happy with just the vouchers, so the windfall felt like a real bonus.”
Some users trawl Google Street View in search of derelict homes, but Ms O’Connor said she takes a more casual approach. She said: “For me it’s just about having the time. It can be like finding a needle in a haystack.”
The property that earned Ms O’Connor her payout had been vacant for at least five years. According to YouSpotProperty, the owner – a single woman who had struggled with both physical and mental health issues – felt unable to return to the home due to difficult personal circumstances.
Over time, the property had been vandalised and at one stage, was believed to have been occupied by squatters. Before any restoration work could begin, the company spent over £10,000 simply clearing the site.
Benjamin Radstone, co-founder of YouSpotProperty.com, said stories like Ms O’Connor’s Laura’s shows how communities can benefit when neglected homes are brought back into use.
He said: “Empty houses drag down neighbourhoods and put pressure on councils, while people need places to live. Our model means everyone wins. Properties are restored, councils get rate payers, and people like Laura share in the rewards. And in her case, the timing was impeccable.”
Mr Radstone said the company, which has now paid out over £1million in rewards, handles everything from complex probate issues to sensitive negotiations with homeowners struggling with personal challenges.
For Ms O’Connor, what started as a lockdown side hustle has turned into a genuine safety net.
She said: “It worked out better than we ever expected. The timing for me was just incredible.”
