Stop Driving Around Looking for Your Next Development Project

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Posted on 16 February 2026

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If you're a small developer, you know the routine. Saturday morning, coffee in hand, driving through target streets looking for boarded-up windows and overgrown gardens. Maybe you spot something. Maybe you don't. Either way, you've burned half a day.

There's a better way to find your next refurb.

The Small Developer's Sourcing Problem

Small developers — typically running 1 to 5 projects a year — live and die by their deal pipeline. The margins on a £300k refurb project are good, but only if you're buying right. That means finding properties before they hit the open market, or at least before other developers notice them.

The challenge isn't a lack of opportunity. There are over 15,000 empty properties tracked on LandAttic right now. The challenge is finding the right ones, fast, and knowing whether they're actually viable before you spend money on solicitors and surveyors.

From Windscreen Time to Screen Time

LandAttic's interactive map lets you search any area in the UK and instantly see every known empty property. Zoom into your target postcode, and the clusters break apart into individual pins — each one a potential project.

But the map is just the starting point. The real value is what's attached to each property.

Planning constraints in one click. Is it in a Conservation Area? Any Article 4 Directions? Listed Building nearby? Tree Preservation Orders? LandAttic checks five categories of planning constraint automatically, pulling data from planning.data.gov.uk. No more guessing whether your permitted development rights apply.

EPC data tells you the refurb story. Before you even visit, the EPC tab shows you the current energy rating, wall insulation type, heating system, and CO2 emissions. A solid-wall Victorian with no insulation and an old boiler tells you exactly what the refurb budget needs to cover.

Brownfield sites overlay reveals hidden plots. Enable the brownfield layer and 56,655 government-registered brownfield sites appear on the map. That gap site between two terraces? It might already be on the brownfield register — meaning the council actively wants it developed.

The Daily Deal Pipeline

Set up alerts for your target areas. Every morning, new empty properties arrive in your inbox. Shortlist the promising ones. Check planning, EPC, and flood risk without leaving the platform. Visit only the properties that pass your desktop appraisal.

Developers who use LandAttic tell us they save 10 to 15 hours per month on research alone. That's time you can spend on site, managing builds, or finding the next deal.

What It Costs vs What It Saves

£30/month for Essential+. One successful project found through the platform covers the subscription for a lifetime. One avoided bad purchase — a property in a flood zone, or a conservation area that kills your PD conversion — saves you thousands.

Find your next project before anyone else. Start your free trial at landattic.com

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