A project for friends, not a developer pitch

Same money. A house instead of a deposit.

We're raising under £20,000 to buy a derelict, rustic property somewhere between Türkiye and Morocco — fix it properly, live in it part of the year, and let paying guests cover the rest. Everyone who puts money in owns a piece of it. Prefer to own outright instead? I can run the whole thing as your project manager.

What the same money buys
£4,000–£12,000
A köy evi — a stone village house — outside a coastal town in Türkiye.
UK
deposit
Türkiye
a house
The model

Buy cheap. Rebuild honestly. Share the calendar.

It's a simple, three-stage loop — not a novel idea, just one done properly and openly, with everyone able to see the budget as it happens.

01 — Buy

A ruin, on purpose

We target properties already priced for their condition: a köy evi in Türkiye, a cortijo in Spain, a rustico in Sicily, a village house in Morocco. Cheap because they need everything — that's the point, not a flaw.

02 — Rebuild

Fixed with local hands

Structural repairs first, then utilities, then a livable kitchen and bathroom. Local labour and materials where possible. Every invoice logged and shared — no surprises, no vague "renovation fund."

03 — Live, host, share

A place, not just an asset

Partners get personal weeks. Paying guests fill the rest of the calendar. Rental income is split according to what everyone put in, on an open, agreed schedule.

Where

Four coastlines, four kinds of ruin

Nothing's chosen yet — that's deliberate. These are the candidates and roughly why, with the honest catches attached. Figures are indicative for run-down rural or village properties, not city or coastal-front listings.

Türkiye

£4,000–£12,000
köy evi — village stone house

Inland Aegean and Mediterranean villages have the widest stock of genuinely cheap stone houses, often with land attached. Strong, established renovation and rental culture already exists for foreign buyers.

WatchOwnership rules and permitted areas vary by nationality and district — needs a local lawyer before any offer, not after.

Spain

£8,000–£18,000
cortijo / casa de pueblo

Inland Andalusia and Murcia still have derelict village houses and smallholdings at real prices, with the advantage of an EU legal framework and a mature holiday-let market once renovated.

WatchNon-resident purchase is straightforward, but stays without residency are capped at 90 in any 180 days for UK citizens post-Brexit.

Sicily

£1–£15,000
casa rurale / rustico

Several inland towns (Mussomeli, Sambuca, others) run active symbolic-price house schemes to repopulate their centres — genuinely £1 in some cases, with a renovation commitment attached.

Watch"€1" listings usually carry a binding renovation deadline (often 1–3 years) and a deposit bond — read the scheme rules closely.

Morocco

£3,000–£10,000
riad / dar — courtyard house

Village houses and small riads outside the main medinas can be very cheap, with a strong existing guesthouse culture to plug into once renovated.

WatchForeign ownership is generally permitted but agricultural land carries extra restrictions — property type matters more than in the other three.
Ways in

Co-own it with us, or own your own outright

The partnership below is one route. If you'd rather have a place that's entirely yours, I can run the search, purchase and renovation as your project manager instead — same regions, same approach, your property.

Route one

Join the partnership

Put money into the shared property below. You get a proportional share of ownership, personal weeks each year, and a cut of rental income once it's operating.

  • Lower capital required — from a few thousand pounds
  • Costs, decisions and returns shared with other partners
  • Good if you want a Mediterranean base without carrying it alone
Route two

Own your own, with a project manager

I source, negotiate and oversee the whole process on your property — from the same regions, the same trusted local contacts and renovation approach — but you hold full title and take all the income.

  • Full ownership, entirely in your name
  • You set the budget and the finish level
  • Project management fee agreed upfront, scoped to what you need — sourcing only, full renovation oversight, or ongoing rental management too
The ask — Route one

Under £20,000, split into shares

Illustrative figures for one representative property, before a specific one is chosen. Final numbers get locked once we've picked a place and got a survey done.

Property purchase£8,000 – £11,000
Renovation & structural work£5,000 – £7,000
Legal, translation, survey£1,500 – £2,000
Contingency (~15%)£1,500 – £2,000
Target raise£18,000

Held in a joint account with two signatories required for any spend over £250. Full ledger visible to every partner throughout.

Equity

proportional to £ in

Every partner owns a share of the property equal to their share of the total raised — recorded in a written partnership agreement before any money moves.

Personal weeks

≈ 1 week / £2,000

Time in the property, allocated by rota once habitable, scaled to contribution and unclaimed weeks rolling over rather than being lost.

Rental income share

proportional to £ in

Once guest bookings begin, net income (after cleaning, platform fees, maintenance reserve) is distributed on the same proportional basis, on a set schedule.

Being straight about it

What could go wrong

A pitch that skips this part isn't one to trust with your money. Here's what we're actually watching for.

Renovation overrun

Rustic property = unknown structural surprises. The 15% contingency exists for this; if it's not enough, we stop and re-scope rather than quietly overspend.

Currency movement

Funds raised in GBP, spent in EUR/TRY/MAD. We'll convert in stages rather than all at once, to avoid betting the whole budget on one exchange rate.

Slower bookings than hoped

Rental income is the upside, not the guarantee. The plan has to work as "a house we love visiting" even in a season with few guests.

This is informal, not regulated

This is a partnership between friends, not a regulated investment product. Every partner should read the written agreement and, if the amount matters to you, get independent advice before committing.

Timeline

From shortlist to first guests

Rough phasing — each one ends with a decision point, not just a date.

Phase 1 — Months 0–3

Scout & shortlist

Visit candidate regions, shortlist 3–5 real properties with real prices, and get the partnership agreement drafted and signed before any purchase.

Phase 2 — Months 3–5

Fund & buy

Close the raise, complete legal checks and survey, complete the purchase.

Phase 3 — Months 5–11

Rebuild

Structural work, roof, utilities, then a livable kitchen and bathroom — documented openly with photos and running costs as we go.

Phase 4 — Month 12+

Open the doors

Partners take their first weeks, guest bookings open, income sharing begins.

Want in, or just want to see the shortlist?

No commitment at this stage — this just gets you the shortlist of properties as we find them, the draft partnership agreement, and a heads-up when the raise opens.

Thanks — added to the list. We'll be in touch before the raise opens.