If you identify an empty property you are interested in, then you can contact your local empty property officer (see under 'contacts'). If the empty property officer has contact with the owner they may be able to pass your details on. However, they will not be able to give you the owner's details because of data protection restrictions.

Finding the owner can involve a good deal of investigative work. A good starting point will be talking to the neighbours, community groups (e.g. residents associations) and local shopkeepers.

You can also contact Land Registry. It is possible to do a basic online search for £3. There are also other searches you can do on this site that may give you useful information.

You will also be able to find out if there are any current or previous planning applications in relation to the property by contacting your local council's planning department. The application will contain details of either the owner or their agent.