A large number empty homes in England could make sound investments for property developers and potential landlords.

A survey published this week by the Halifax shows that the number of uninhabited private and local authority owned homes in England has risen by 1.8 per cent over the past 12 months.

This means that at present there are currently 662,105 properties standing unused.

But at a time when some experts are saying that there is a shortage of quality homes for rent, there must be some potential for redevelopment out there.

And the report does show some positive changes, with the total number of empty private home actually falling to its lowest level since 2008.

Private long-term empty homes (those empty for more than six months) account for 44 per cent of all empty housing, while the remaining 54 per cent is taken up by short-term empty private homes and all empty public homes, including council and social housing.

Long-term empty homes now account for 1.6 per cent of all private homes in England. The north-west has the biggest problem as 63,696 home are standing empty, accounting for over a fifth (22 per cent) of the total national figure.

Martin Ellis, Halifax housing economist, said: "Whilst it is encouraging that the number of private homes in England that have been empty for at least six months has declined over the last few years, it is still at a high level, particularly in the context of the country's ongoing housing shortage.

“Locally, the existence of empty homes remains a particular problem in a number of areas, especially in the north-west. In some cases, the proportion of empty homes is more than double the national average."

Last month, Manchester-based Fresh Start Living said that disused buildings make great investments for would be landlords as they can often be purchased at a knockdown price and renovated relatively easily.