Key Achievements
Estate‑Wide Security Improvements
The presence of Property Guardians prevented antisocial behaviour, squatting and vandalism across multiple blocks, reducing security risks and removing the visibility of empty homes.
Protection of Vacant Properties
By keeping flats occupied, the scheme preserved the condition of older Brick Brutalist buildings, preventing decline commonly associated with long‑term voids.
Significant Cost Savings
Guardian occupation reduced or removed the need for traditional security products such as security patrols and additional CCTV and vacant‑property insurance premiums. These savings were particularly significant given the scale and duration of the regeneration programme.
Social Value Delivered
The scheme provided affordable accommodation for local working professionals, supporting housing accessibility while turning vacant homes into a positive asset for the community.
The Property
Colindale Estate—formerly known as Grahame Park—is one of the London Borough of Barnet’s most distinctive and historically significant residential areas. Developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s on the former Hendon Aerodrome, the estate carries a strong architectural and cultural identity rooted in its aviation heritage. Street layouts, building forms and road names reference the site’s past as a pioneering airfield and RAF training base during both World Wars.
Designed by Sir Roger Walters and Gordon Wigglesworth, the estate is characterised by its Brick Brutalist architecture, comprising low‑rise flat‑roofed blocks, brick terraces and bold geometric forms. The first residents moved in during October 1971, marking the transformation of a historic aerodrome into one of North London’s largest residential communities.
Today, Colindale Estate sits at the heart of a major regeneration corridor, neighbouring significant redevelopment projects such as Colindale Gardens and the former Colindale Hospital site, as well as key local landmarks including the RAF Museum.
The Challenges
- Vacant properties across a large, phased regeneration site – As residents decanted, increasing numbers of flats became vacant. Without occupation, these empty homes presented heightened risks of antisocial behaviour, vandalism, unauthorised access and squatting across multiple blocks.
- Sensitivity to remaining residents and nearby facilities – The estate remains home to long‑established residential communities as regeneration progresses. With both family households and older residents in the surrounding area, a reliable occupation model was needed to provide reassurance, minimise disruption and keep vulnerable neighbours safe.
- Risk of deterioration in older residential buildings – Unoccupied flats within 1970s‑era buildings are particularly susceptible to damp, leaks, pest intrusion, and structural decline, with the potential for issues to affect neighbouring occupied homes if not actively managed.
- Estate‑wide security pressures – Reduced footfall in certain areas and the gradual emptying of blocks created security hotspots, requiring a consistent and distributed presence to maintain safety across the neighbourhood.
Our Solutions
Ad Hoc implemented a scaled Property Guardianship scheme designed specifically for a large, live regeneration estate.
- Occupation of vacant units by vetted local professionals – Ad Hoc placed Property Guardians into available flats as residents decanted, ensuring homes remained lived‑in rather than left empty or boarded up.
- Continuous, estate‑wide residential presence – Guardians living throughout multiple blocks provided natural surveillance, discouraging antisocial behaviour and unauthorised access while offering reassurance to remaining residents.
- Protection and upkeep of properties – Guardians maintained their homes and promptly reported issues, helping to keep flats ventilated, secure, and in good repair and preventing deterioration within ageing building stock.
- Respectful integration within the existing community – Guardians were selected for their ability to live responsibly within a long‑established residential estate, supporting stability during a period of disruption and change.
- Full management and oversight – Ad Hoc managed all vetting, licensing, inspections, key control, and 24/7 emergency response, delivering a fully compliant solution without adding operational burden for Barnet Homes.
”Since the beginning of our partnership with Ad Hoc Property Management in 2016, we have consistently benefited from their outstanding service in managing our vacant properties. Ad Hoc and its Property Guardians provide us with peace of mind, ensuring our properties are safeguarded against theft, squatting, and other anti-social activities.
Over the past nine years, we have entrusted Ad Hoc with the management of over 600 residential properties across six regeneration schemes, alongside additional security measures tailored to protect our estates.
Their professionalism and reliability have been pivotal to the success of our development project
Senior Regeneration ManagerBarnet Homes
Why Ad Hoc?
We are the trusted name in protecting vacant properties across the UK and Europe.
With over 35 years of experience, we are on a mission to bring empty buildings back into use and communities back to life.
Tailored Solutions
Looking for the right solution for your vacant property? We provide options such as Residential Guardianship, Workspace Occupation, Charity Occupation and Property Security to keep your building protected and in use.
Fill out the form for a free, no-obligation conversation. We’ll be in touch to explore the best approach for your property.
