HomeChaser: The Empty Property App Part 2

October 21, 2016

You can help turn empty buildings into affordable homes!

homechaser app | property guardian The first Create-a-thon event in August to find a tech solution to the housing crisis was a huge success, and a dedicated small team of #Winsiders4Good began the process of building the HomeChaser app in association with Dot Dot Dot Property.

HomeChaser is the first empty property app that crowdsources empty property data, helping to turn more empty buildings into affordable homes. Members of the public will be able to pin their location, along with a photo and some basic details about an empty building they see in their daily life. This will allow Dot Dot Dot to investigate, and turn some of those buildings into property guardian homes. All with an app!

The team were so committed to the app and supporting Dot Dot Dot that we came together again, inviting a wider audience to help take the app to the next stage of development.

The event was generously hosted by the University of West London in their fantastic new lecture hall. A passionate group of #Winsiders4Good attended for the day to share their skills and ideas.

Although there were some unavoidable technical issues along the way (which we don’t understand – coding is a whole other language!), the team made friends, progress and connections.

HomeChaser may not be a reality yet, but we are well on our way and excited about the potential. We hope the app will help us engage the public in the issues around empty properties and connect us with more buildings to house our fantastic volunteers.

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Dot Dot Dot stands for property guardianship done well

We are a social enterprise which houses people in buildings that would otherwise be empty

We respect our guardians, selecting only the very best while supporting them to further the interests of their neighbourhood and to provide a high level of service to the property’s owner. This is a win-win-win for property guardians, owners and communities.

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Testimonials

“It’s great because I often work from home. Because it’s a huge building you have you’re own space, but if you want to hang out with other guardians you can.”
Sarah, Whitechapel
“If I wasn’t a property guardian I would either be paying a ridiculous amount of money on renting in London or unable to move out of my grandmother’s house at all. I certainly wouldn’t be able to afford to spend time volunteering.”
Bella, Bow
“It’s a really cool place – I can use it to work in like an office, and there’s already a great community.”
Pete, Whitechapel
“Being a property guardian with Dot Dot Dot means you do more than simply live somewhere. Instead, because you volunteer you really become part of the community. The best bit is knowing you’ve made a difference and have had a positive impact on those around you.”
Tim, High Wycombe
“Dot Dot Dot has been a perfect springboard to the city.”
Tom, Croydon
“I was drawn to property guardianship because I wanted to live affordably in London which is pretty hard to do – and the volunteering aspect of guardianship with Dot Dot Dot really appealed to me as a way of giving back to the community.”
Carl, High Barnet
“Dot Dot Dot has helped me get to know people around my area and it has been a great introduction to volunteering.”
Lamonte, Sutton
Local people have been very positive. They like the fact an empty building in their neighbourhood is being used again and is being maintained.
Conor, Shoreham-by-Sea
“Being a guardian here you have a place to work, a place to socialise and place of your own.”
Alex, Whitechapel
“I love the idea that you are part of a community in such a large city. I like the fact we are allowed to be creative with the decoration of the flat and getting involved with local charities is something which I have missed doing over the last few years.”
Jasmine, Peckham