Guardians live high life for a song: firm seeks tenants to keep squatters out of palatial properties

A property guardian firm which looks after empty houses and commercial premises on behalf of their owners will open its first office in Scotland this week after being inundated with requests from north of the Border.

London-based Ad Hoc, which recruits individuals to live in its vast properties - which include country estates, churches, hospitals and schools - for around 205 a month, will set up shop in Glasgow on Tuesday.

Joseph Cooper, of Ad Hoc, said: "Property owners who have an empty house or building need security, so instead of boarding it up or using a 24-hour guard, they can install a live-in property guardian, a vetted professional who will deter criminals and squatters. For the owners it means the building is being lived in, and for the people living there it offers low-cost accommodation."

The company has looked after properties including a 5,964 square foot church in London, which was occupied by professional musician Andy Fairclough, who used the space and acoustics to rehearse, and a 13.5 million estate in Lincolnshire with 1,500 acres of land and a manor house in the grounds, which is currently home to 33-year-old translator Ruth Bartlett.

So far, the company only has two properties in Scotland on its books - a large country inn on the east coast, and a smaller house in the central belt - but hopes to expand in the coming months and says it is in discussion with a number of property owners.

Cooper said: "We have been approached with regards to looking after hotels, houses, offices and pubs in Scotland. In a recession a lot of these buildings have been mothballed because the owners want to sit it out and get a good price when they sell."

He said the company had opened in Scotland because of a growing demand. "We have been approached a number of times about opening here and we've spoken to a lot of private landlords who wanted us to take the leap and secure some of their buildings."

"As the recession continues the need is there," Cooper said. "A lot of people thought that with house prices going down there would be fewer people looking on the rental market, but the opposite is actually true because it has become more difficult to get mortgages."

Alan Ferguson, director of the Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland, said: "Having a property guardian would certainly act as a deterrent. But I think it's also probably indicative of the state of the housing market.Whether it's trouble getting mortgages or properties lying empty, the market is still not performing well."

He added: "First-time buyers are having more difficulties than ever before - unless you borrow from the bank of mum and dad it is difficult to get a mortgage. You can understand why a service like this would be incredibly beneficial in that situation, and you can also see why a property investor would want to protect that investment while a property was still on the market."

Around 60 per cent of Ad Hoc's properties are commercial, but a large number are private homes, some of which belong to owners who are overseas for long periods or who have simply failed to sell. The company has also looked after a Victorian hospital, which required several guardians to live in it because of its size, and a former public boys' school in the English countryside.

Prospective guardians must go through a vetting process, including an hour-long interview, and the company doesn't accept those with children or dependants.

"Property guardians are on a 14-day notice and we strive to relocate them when that happens," said Cooper. "Our guardians are quite flexible because they understand the concept where they have the risk of having to move out at short notice."

But the guardians are not expected to deal with criminals or squatters themselves. "They're there to act as an early warning system," said Cooper. "It means they can call the police if they see any breaches in security. It's the alternative to leaving somewhere empty where someone could do thousands of pounds worth of damage."

Ad Hoc was founded in 1990 and operates in Holland and Belgium as well as in the UK. It has more than 300 properties on its books in London and around 1,000 property guardians in England and Wales.