Overseas companies own thousands of properties in local councils all across England and Wales.
Data produced by HM Land Registry shows there have been 93,877 property purchases made by offshore companies since 1959 in England and Wales - not including any that have been bought and subsequently sold.
HM Land Registry has only routinely recorded the country of a company’s incorporation since 1999 so the true number of property purchases will likely be higher.
With almost 41,000 purchases made in London, the region is awash with foreign property investment. However, it is not an issue isolated to the capital. The South West has seen almost 15,000 property purchases since 1959, while the North West has had just over 11,000.
One purchase could involve multiple properties – for instance more than one flat in a building.
The analysis comes as the UK Government sets out new obligations as part of the Register of Overseas Entities to crack down on economic crime.
Here we reveal the 15 councils which have seen the greatest amount of property purchases by overseas companies since 1959.
Images are for illustrative purposes only.
City of Westminster
In the City of Westminster there have been 10,546 property purchases made by overseas companies.