England has 279,000 homes that have been unoccupied for six months or more and around 737,500 homes lying empty according to Council Tax data.
It is estimated that in the UK as a whole, there are around 930,000 empty properties.
The figure does not include flats above shops or commercial premises as these are charged business rates and do not show up on the figures.
A government report in 2004 stated that there were 300,000 potential homes in this category in England.
There are several reasons why some homes remain empty.
They may belong to someone who is now in long term care, they may be from an inheritance and not disposed of, or they may have been previously rented and fallen into disrepair.
It is currently being argues that instead of exempting uninhabitable and empty homes from Council Tax they should be charged four-times the normal rate to encourage the houses to be repaired or sold.
The government is currently consulting on an 'Empty Homes Premium' addition to Council Tax for homes that have been empty for two years or more.
In November the government also announced £150 million in funding aimed to help bring empty homes back into use.
