A preliminary investigation by the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau finds that there are about 3.81 million vacant houses in Beijing, the Beijing Times reports.

Officials at the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau Population Division say the initial findings can change between the preliminary results and the final data due to differing statistical methods, and the total is expected to be less.

"After the verification of the household registration information, some vacant houses will be reclassified as inhabited houses in the cases of separation of residents from household registration and houses for rent," officials explain.

"Many vacant units are in the regions outside the 5th Ring Road. Beijing should curb the property speculation and provide more houses to people who are in need," said Zhang Dawei, marketing research director of Beijing Centaline Real Estate Brokerage Co., Ltd.

"Vacant houses are the resource wastes, and the government should impose a special tax on vacant dwellings to lower the city's vacancy rate," Hu Jinghui, vice president of Bacic & 5i5j Group, Beijing's second-biggest real estate brokerage added.

Chen Zhi, secretary-general of Beijing Real Estate Association suggests that the definition of "vacant house" is not clear, and several problems should be solved during the investigation. These include the definition of vacant house, a more scientific method of statistical investigation and how to eliminate special cases, such as residents away on extended travel or business matters.

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