The challenge is that there is no single reason for homes being empty.

One factor is the probate system, which can in some cases take several years, during which time the deceased person’s house cannot be sold. Katie Watson from probate research firm Finders International, believes increasing staff numbers could help address a court backlog.

Then there is the issue that sometimes, councils are unable to track down the owners of empty homes. Jasmine Basran, head of policy and campaigns at homeless charity Crisis, believes there is a “lack of coherent data”.

When the BBC approached English councils, the information we were provided about the condition and reason for homes being empty covered only around 13% of their LTE stock.

This means councils are “blind to their potential”, argues Ms Basran.

The article doesn’t mention anything about foreign ownership, and a company investing in real estate probably wouldn’t want their assets sitting unused and generating no profits in the long-term.