Frequently asked questions

Draft for review. Last updated: 16 October 2026.

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About CADO

What is CADO?

Across the UK, buildings people care about sit empty for years: old pubs, cinemas, shops, halls, mills. CADO (Communities Against Delinquent Ownership) is mapping them, to show how big the problem is and to help people bring them back to life.

CADO is run by Kinship Works. We’re building the map with people who know their local area, and we use what we learn to connect campaigns, share what works and press for changes in policy.

What does “delinquent ownership” mean?

We use it to describe a situation, not a person. It means a building that matters locally has been left empty or neglected for a long time, with nothing bringing it back into use.

There are many reasons this happens: probate, disputed ownership, insolvency, money problems, planning or legal obstacles, or simply nobody acting. Putting a building on the map doesn’t mean we think its owner has done anything wrong. Our page Which buildings go on the map explains exactly which buildings we include.

Submitting a building

What kind of building can I submit?

A building that is stuck: empty or mostly unused for at least three years (or less if it’s clearly derelict), with nothing bringing it back into use, and that matters to people locally. It could be a closed pub, cinema, shop, chapel, hall, mill or any other building your community cares about.

Please don’t submit:

  • homes people live in;

  • buildings that are being used, even if they look run down;

  • a building because of a personal disagreement with its owner, a landlord or a neighbour; or

  • a building you simply dislike, or a planning decision you disagree with.

Campaigning for a building is not a personal dispute: if you’re part of a campaign, we’d love to hear from you. Our page Which buildings go on the map has the full details.

If a building is dangerous right now, report it to the local council. In an emergency, call 999.

Can I submit a building owned by the council or another public body?

Yes. Buildings owned by councils, the NHS and other public bodies are included in the same way as any other. The map shows the type of owner, such as “council”, never a name.

Do I need to be part of a campaign, or know who owns the building?

No. You can submit any building you’ve noticed and think matters.

You don’t need to know the owner. If you do know what type of owner it is, tell us where that came from, for example Companies House or the council. Please don’t guess, and please don’t give us an individual owner’s name.

Do I need permission from my organisation?

Not to submit as yourself. If you’re submitting on behalf of a group, society or employer, check with them first. We don’t publish your name unless you ask us to.

What information should I give?

The most useful submissions tell us:

  • where the building is (an address, or a precise location);

  • what kind of building it is and what condition it’s in;

  • roughly how long it has been empty;

  • why it matters locally;

  • what you’d like to happen to it, and what you think is stopping that;

  • what type of owner it has, if you know, and where that information came from;

  • whether a local group or campaign is involved; and

  • photos, if you have them.

Stick to what you’ve seen or can point to a source for. If you’re not sure about something, answer “not sure”.

What if the building doesn’t have an address?

That’s fine. Describe where it is, or paste a link to its location in Google Maps or another map.

Can I upload photos?

Yes, if you took them yourself or have permission to share them.

Only take photos from a public place or somewhere you’re allowed to be. Don’t go onto the property, climb fences or put yourself at risk.

Please avoid photos showing people, children, number plates, the inside of anyone’s home or ways into the building. We may crop, blur or decline a photo.

You keep the copyright. When you upload a photo, you give us permission to use it on the map, in reports and in media coverage. Our website terms explain this in full. We’ll credit you by name only if you ask us to.

What should I leave out?

  • anyone’s contact details, or a home address other than the building itself;

  • names of individual owners;

  • information about anyone’s health, money, family or personal circumstances;

  • accusations of crime or wrongdoing;

  • rumours; and

  • details of how to get into the building.

The form asks whether anyone is living in the building, or whether publishing it could cause a privacy or safety problem. Please answer that without giving personal details.

Can I submit a building that has already been saved?

Yes, please. We want to show what’s possible when communities bring buildings back into use. Tell us what happened and who made it happen.

What if I can’t use the form?

Email cado@kinship.works with the building’s location and what you’ve noticed, and we’ll take it from there.

After you submit

What happens after I submit a building?

  1. You’ll get an email confirming we’ve received it.

  2. Our team checks it against the criteria. We may email you with a question.

  3. If it meets the criteria, we write the entry in our standard style and publish it.

  4. About once a year, we’ll ask whether the information is still right.

We may edit what you sent, publish only part of it, or decide not to publish it. We’re a small team, so we can’t always explain every decision in detail.

Will my name or contact details appear on the map?

No. We never publish your name, email address or other contact details, unless you ask us to credit you by name.

We use your email only to contact you in relation to your submission, for example to check details or hear more about the building. We’d only share your details without asking you if a court or the law required us to. Signing up for CADO news is optional and separate.

Can I update my submission, or an entry on the map?

Yes. Use “Suggest an update” on the map, or email cado@kinship.works. Updates are reviewed before they change anything on the map.

What else do you do with submissions?

We use what we learn to publish reports, support media coverage and make the case for policy change. Reports use building-level information, not personal details.

We don’t share information with developers, buyers, agents or organisations seeking to make a profit. In limited circumstances we may share ownership information from public records, such as a company’s name as shown at Companies House, with like-minded partner organisations working to support communities, or with campaigners working together to save the same building. We never share your details without asking you first. Our privacy notice has the full details.

About the map

Do you name the owners of buildings?

No. We never publish the name of any owner, whether a person, a company or a public body. Each entry shows only the type of owner, such as “private individual”, “company” or “council”.

Does CADO check everything on the map?

We check every entry before it’s published, but we can’t independently verify every detail, and information can go out of date. Each entry shows when we last checked it. If something is wrong, please tell us.

The map is a record of community concern. Don’t rely on it when deciding whether to buy, invest in or visit a building. Check with the owner or the local council first.

What does being on the map mean?

It means people have told us they’re concerned about the building, and it meets our criteria. It doesn’t establish why the building is in that condition, who is responsible, or whether anyone has acted unlawfully.

We can’t promise that being on the map will lead to enforcement action, a sale, funding or community ownership. What it does is show the scale of the problem, connect people working on similar buildings, and build the case for change.

Does CADO support entering or occupying empty buildings?

No. CADO does not encourage anyone to enter, occupy or damage a building. Please don’t, and we won’t publish submissions that suggest it.

I own, or am connected with, a building on the map. What can I do?

Use “Suggest an update” on the entry on the map, or email cado@kinship.works. You can:

  • tell us if something is wrong or out of date;

  • let us know if work is underway, which we’ll note on the entry while we check again later;

  • ask us to add a short response of up to 150 words to the entry, which we’ll publish as written, except for personal data or unlawful content; or

  • raise a privacy or safety concern.

We look at significant concerns as soon as possible, and within five working days, and may hide an entry while we check. If the building comes back into use, we’ll update the entry, and we may keep it on the map as a success story.

Still have a question? Email us at cado@kinship.works

See also: Which buildings go on the map, our website terms and our privacy notice.