Put Your Empty Commercial Property to Good Use
Delivering ESG Through Property: Transform Vacant Space into Community Impact
Unlock social value, reduce business rates, and protect your property — all while meeting ESG goals.
At Starting Out Charity, we help property owners, landlords, and asset managers turn empty commercial buildingsinto high-impact, community-driven spaces that generate real-world ESG outcomes.
Since 1997, we’ve partnered with some of the UK’s leading real estate stakeholders to transform vacant offices, shops, and warehouses into thriving local hubs — supporting those in need while reducing property costs and delivering measurable social value.
Trusted by the UK’s Leading Property Stakeholders
What We Do
We activate underused commercial buildings by transforming them into:
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Pop-up family support centres
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Donation hubs and food banks
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Training, education, and employability projects
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Safe spaces for local charities and social enterprises
Our team handles everything — legal agreements, risk assessments, insurance, safeguarding, site setup, and ongoing management.
You maintain full control of your asset, with none of the hassle — and all of the benefit.
Let’s Talk: One Building or Full Portfolio
Whether you manage a single property or a portfolio of commercial units, we can provide a tailored plan to bring life back to those spaces — while meeting your ESG goals and protecting your bottom line.
Put your property to good use.
Reduce costs. Drive positive change. Deliver ESG.
Partner with Starting Out Charity — the trusted vacant property charity for the UK’s property sector.
Unlocking the Potential of Vacant Commercial Property
Starting Out Charity transforms empty offices, warehouses, and high-street units into meaningful community initiatives that serve our beneficiaries, local residents and our property stakeholders.
Since 1997, we’ve supported hundreds of thousands of people facing hardship by providing them with access to essential items, training, and the spaces they need to live, work, and thrive. We create well-loved initiatives that help develop social enterprises, deliver educational programs, create charity hubs that empower communities and create lasting, positive change.
Everything we do is focused on helping people move forward with confidence toward a brighter, more stable future.
The Charity Driving Impact
for Owners of Empty Commercial Property
Our charity diligently works with the property industry to transform vacant commercial units into spaces that serve local communities through innovative property reuse.
With over two decades of experience, we have built strong, lasting partnerships and delivered innovative property solutions that support our mission and create lasting positive change.
Award-Winning Impact
Our charity initiatives are tried, tested, and trusted by industry leaders. We’ve repurposed hundreds of commercial properties to serve vital community needs from youth spaces and shelters to learning hubs and pop-up support centres.
Safeguarded & Returned
We ensure your property is protected, well-maintained, and returned in excellent condition whenever required. Our process is ideal for large office blocks, warehouses, or smaller premises, whether pristine or in need of care.
Significant Savings
By enabling charitable use of your property, we help you access substantial business rates savings, reduce liability, and unlock ESG value from assets that would otherwise sit empty.
Flexible, Tailored Support
We cater to extremely large and small properties.
Whether it’s a short-term gap between tenants or longer-term regeneration, we work to your timeline with our team handling all logistics, operations, and compliance.
Enhance Your ESG Profile
Enhance CSR with staff participation in meaningful projects. Our work contributes directly to environmental, social, and governance goals with many of our partners engaging their workforce in volunteering and community outreach.
Positive PR
Strengthen relationships with councils and communities while gaining positive media coverage.
Maximise the ESG Potential of Your Portfolio
Leaving a building vacant is costly — not just financially, but reputationally. By partnering with Starting Out Charity, you can:
✅ Reduce business rates and vacancy-related costs
✅ Protect your property with on-site presence and full compliance
✅ Deliver measurable ESG metrics for stakeholders and reporting
✅ Improve community engagement and civic trust
✅ Support people in need with access to essential services and support
We provide a meanwhile use solution that meets legal, operational, and safety standards — with no cost to the landlord.
The Go-To ESG Charity Partner for Vacant Properties
With over 27 years of experience, our charity is trusted by leading industry names, including:
L&Q • Origin Housing • TT Group • Median Capital • Ridgemount
These partnerships demonstrate the financial, operational, and reputational value we bring to vacant commercial property.
We’ve helped clients:
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Offset business rates through compliant temporary occupation
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Avoid security and maintenance costs
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Achieve BREEAM, Social Value, and CSR targets through real community impact
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Secure positive media coverage and stakeholder recognition
We are very impressed with Starting Out Charity. They are a joy to work with, and we highly recommend them. We look forward to future collaborations.
Starting Out is a well-run, positive organisation with a passionate team that makes a real difference. The impact they had on our building was truly transformational.
Ethical Property Management with Proven ESG Impact
Our tried and tested initiatives help property owners save on commercial rates and ensure their properties are well-maintained and ready to return when needed. Through our innovative, ESG-driven approach to commercial property management, we transform empty offices, warehouses, and high-street units into meaningful community initiatives that benefit everyone; from local residents to property stakeholders.
Our solutions are rooted in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles, helping commercial property owners:
- Minimise holding costs through substantial business rate relief
- Ensure their assets are secured, cared for, and returned when needed
- Meet ESG and CSR goals through socially responsible meanwhile space use
- Build trust with communities, councils, and the wider public
Through our dynamic volunteering initiatives and our network of respected charity partners, we’ve earned numerous prestigious awards, received praise from Prime Ministers, and launched some of the UK’s most impactful charity initiatives.
Find out how much you could save
370,000 sq ft of commercial property put to charitable use so far.
15 council areas home to Starting Out Charity projects so far.
£4,000,000+ in savings generated for owners so far.
L&Q are proud to have The Staring Out Charity deliver their projects from our empty units.
The Starting Out Charity has created an impressive army of volunteers and corporate partners to do good across the capital.
The Starting Out Charity are a great bunch of people. Origin is always happy to have them care for our empty buildings.
The Starting Out Charity is a well run organisation that really makes a difference.
Trusted by the UK’s Leading Property Stakeholders
We’re proud to be the go-to charity partner for ESG in property management for some of the UK’s most respected organisations.
Trusted by Industry Leaders: Since 1997, partners have included L&Q, Origin Housing, TT Group, Median Capital, Ridgemount, and more. These partnerships demonstrate not only the value of our services but the trust we’ve built across the real estate sector through consistent delivery, transparency, and real-world results.
Ready to improve ESG in your unoccupied space?
If you’re managing vacant commercial properties and want to reduce costs while delivering genuine social and environmental value, we’re here to help.
Join the many forward-thinking property owners who are turning their unused spaces into meaningful places
