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A REPORT FROM the country’s Housing Agency says there are almost a quarter of a million empty houses across the country.
Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, the chairman of the agency Conor Skehan said that the figures translate to two years worth of housing supply.
“Here’s an enormous stock of houses that already exist.”
While the reasons for the vacancies are “complex”, Skehan said they can be used while house building remains too slow to keep up with demand.
He said that many are in need of repairs and connections to services and others are simply in places where there is no demand.
The highest rates of vacancy are found in Donegal, Leitrim, Mayo, Galway and Kerry. The lowest rates are around Dublin and Cork cities.
Skehan added that many owners need “carrots” to refurbish homes.
“People have to realise that that house you inherited from your aunty can’t sit there empty.”
He said the Housing Agency would work to nail down the exact number of vacant homes and what those “carrots” would be such as tax breaks and refurbishment grants.
Countries like Scotland, England and France actually penalise long-term vacancies – once your house is vacant for more than a year in an area of high population density you would start to pay dramatically increased tax every year.
He said that policy is something the Housing Agency felt was extreme.
“Bringing property back into use is the real trick.”
Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin said the government needed to act.
“There are 6,000 people officially homeless including 2,000 children. There are up to 130,000 households on local authority housing waiting lists.
In Dublin there are 7,995 vacant houses and 16,321 vacant apartments. Yet rough sleeping is on the rise.
“It is simply not acceptable for Government to sit on its hands and do nothing about vacant properties when so many families are in severe housing need.”
Brexit hasn’t gone away
@Diarmuid: The Brexit consequences are our 3rd priority now. After coronavirus – and then sorting out how to pay for the billions it costs!
@Ale Ceaser: and you can’t pay back the billions without sorting brexit, there needs to be solid trade deals so we know roughly where we stand in relation to import/export/ employment.any big changes will cause even more tax and unemployment burden
@Garreth mc mahon: We’ll have written an awful lot of cheques before Brexit is sorted!
Brexit, Smcexit, That is all so yesterday. It’s a one world struggle now guys. For now, forget climate change, arms limitations, economy downturns, it’s all about beating a tiny little virus. This pandemic should be a wake up call to us all. We will live in a changed world after this is finished.
@John C: Sadly that changed world, for Ireland, will include billions more borrowings. Not so much yesterday – but next summer….
@Ale Ceaser: Two saying spring to mind……. Money follows money……. and…….. Never waste a good crisis.
At the end of the day the usual suspects will be winners yet again.
@John C: one that hopefully doesn’t rely on China anymore.
Easy negotiating here!. UK we have no money.EU we have no money. Wanna trade? Ok where do we sign. Done in a few weeks.
have your say