More than 3,500 council homes across Ireland were lying empty at the end of the first six months of this year, according to new figures, reports RTE.
It comes as more than 95,000 people in the state’s 31 councils are on their housing waiting lists and more than 70,0000 people are benefiting from housing support and rental housing schemes.
The zero council figures were released under the Freedom of Information Act to Aontu leader and Meath West TD Peter Tobin.
Speaking to RTÉ News, Mr TóibÃn said: “It is incredible that in the jaws of a national emergency in terms of housing that well over 3,000 local authority homes are lying empty tonight,” said Mr TóibÃn, reports RTE.
“There are enough empty local authority homes in the State to house well over half the number of people who are homeless. The State is failing significantly in terms of renting and turning around these empty council houses. It is incredible that the State is the biggest culprit. The biggest hoarder in terms of empty homes in Ireland, and I think it’s unforgivable,” said Mr TóibÃn, reports RTE.
In response, the Department of Housing said: “The most recent NOAC (The National Oversight and Audit Commission) report shows that the turnaround time for social homes in some counties has improved significantly. The Department continues to work with all local authorities to ensure social homes are turned around as quickly as possible,” reports RTE.
In its statement, the Department added: “At the end of 2021 Local Authorities had a social housing stock of 141,483 homes. Local authorities will always have a level of vacancy in their housing stock, which will inevitably fluctuate over time as tenancy surrender and re-letting is an ongoing process. The reasons for vacancy can also vary, and may include units which are marked for demolition and major regeneration or earmarked for sale, for example. The management and maintenance of local authority housing stock, including pre-letting repairs to vacant properties, is a matter for each individual local authority,” reports RTE.
It said: “Since 2020, 6,300 vacant social homes have been brought back into productive use and Minister O’Brien has approved €31 million in funding to support the return of 2,300 vacant local authority homes this year. A programme of works has been submitted by all local authorities under this programme, and the Department will make every effort to approve requests for additional funding where additional vacant properties can be remediated and tenanted in addition to the annual target,” reports RTE.
Robert Burns, director of housing with Fingal County Council and spokesman for the Local Government Management Agency, said vacancy rates needed to be put into context.
“Local authorities own and manage over 140,000 houses right across the country. So that figure of 3,544 actually represents about 2.5% of the housing stock. It’s relatively small in that sense we don’t want vacant properties. It’s part of a natural process. People move out, people pass on. There’s a whole host of reasons why properties naturally fall vacant,” he said, reports RTE.
Local Authority/Vacant
1. Carlow 36
2. Cavan 94
3. Clare 71
4. Cork County 184
5. Cork City 350
6. Donegal 171
7. Dublin City 712
8. Dún Laoghaire 45
9. Fingal 74
10. Galway County 105
11. Galway City 127
12. Kerry 149
13. Kildare 126
14. Kilkenny 78
15. Laois 35
16. Leitrim 20
17. Limerick 228
18. Longford 95
19. Louth 62
20. Mayo 65
21. Meath 56
22. Monaghan 18
23. Offaly 36
24. Roscommon 19
25. Sligo 25
26. South Dublin 89
27. Tipperary 112
28. Waterford 103
29. Westmeath 30
30. Wexford 54
31. Wicklow 175
Total 3,544
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