Dot Dot Dot Property Guardians

Who we are

Introducing Dot Dot Dot

Founded in 2011, Dot Dot Dot is a social enterprise that turns properties which would otherwise stand empty into inexpensive homes.

Owners benefit from cost-effective property protection. Residents - known as property guardians - gain access to inexpensive housing, and local communities are strengthened by having conscientious, engaged neighbours.

Because social impact is at the heart of what we do, everyone we house commits to volunteering their time for good causes each month. Since 2011, we’ve housed over 2,000 people and supported them to contribute tens of thousands of hours to a wide variety of charities and community projects.

Collectively, their time has been worth £7.6 million - the equivalent of one person working full-time for more than 308 years.

Who we work with - and who we house

We work with local councils, housing associations, charities, and trusts, giving them confidence that their buildings are safe, well cared for, and put to good use while awaiting regeneration or sale.

Current and previous areas where our property viewing assistants show applicants around include:

• Poplar, east London
• Kilburn/Queen’s Park, in Brent
• Ham Close, in Richmond
• Oxford and Cambridge
• High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

We’ve housed designers, teachers, cleaners, librarians, support workers, engineers, midwives and zookeepers. There are many reasons why someone may want to become a property guardian with Dot Dot Dot. Some are looking to make a career change, or save up for a mortgage. Others want to make new friends and connections, or discover a new area.

Our culture and values

Our purpose and values

Why do we do what we do?

• We exist to improve lives in a housing crisis.

How do we do it?

• We do this by delivering practical solutions that are low-cost, good quality and socially positive.

What do we do?

• We turn empty buildings into inexpensive housing for people who want to do good.
• We work with housing organisations to unlock the potential of their buildings and resources.

Our values:

• Make it happen
• Do excellent work together
• Start with people

Our working culture

As a social enterprise, Dot Dot Dot is committed to being a good employer. We care about supporting a healthy work–life balance and creating a positive, inclusive working culture.

We’re open and collaborative in how we work, and we take pride in doing things carefully and well. At the same time, we value having the time and energy for life outside work. We believe people do their best work when they feel supported, trusted and part of a team.

We actively encourage applications from people with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. We know that inclusive teams bring different perspectives and make our work stronger.

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

Central to our ethos is a warm and inclusive team culture that values diversity and collaboration. As part of our ongoing commitment to inclusiveness and diversity, we actively and warmly encourage applications from a broad range of backgrounds. We believe that people from different backgrounds bring perspectives and skills that create fresh ideas, thinking and approaches which make the way work is undertaken more effective and efficient. We know that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.