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CONCERNS HAVE BEEN raised over new government proposals to help alleviate the current housing crisis, which would see elderly people in nursing homes renting out their properties.
The housing department announced a number of measures it would attempt to use to provide more homes in the State, and identified vacant properties as an area worth exploring further.
The department said it would work with the Department of Health to explore how the homes of people in nursing homes could be used for new tenancies.
Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy said he hopes to encourage homeowners in nursing homes to lease out their vacant houses, adding that he will be introducing incentives.
This measure, however, has been met with concerns from groups such as Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI), Alone and Age Action Ireland.
Tadhg Daly, CEO at NHI, said: “Older people should not feel compelled or pressured into renting or divesting their home. Many residents in nursing homes still hold great love and affection for their family home and continue to visit it with family or friends.
The move to a nursing home brings a transition in a person’s life that is often very difficult emotionally. We must ensure the wishes of older persons are respected and they are not unnecessarily pressurised into divesting a possession that holds great emotional and spiritual value for them.
Alone CEO Sean Moynihan, meanwhile, said that comments made by the government were unhelpful and risked sending the wrong messages.
He said: “We are concerned that this announcement by Minister Murphy sends conflicting messages and places older people in a difficult position as it may lead the public to believe older people are blocking the housing market.
The number of houses left vacant by those in nursing home care is small but the principle of protecting older people is a larger issue.
Moynihan added that the government had put forth no solutions for older people, and said that their housing needs should be addressed too.
Age Action said that it was now important to see the detail behind Minister Murphy’s proposals, and said that any change to the Fair Deal scheme shouldn’t see nursing home residents hit with a vacant property tax.
The Simon Communities, meanwhile, urged the government to be proactive in identifying the vacant properties that would be most suitable for rehoming individuals and families.
Its spokesperson Niamh Randall, however, warned that “vacant housing stock alone will not solve the current crisis or prevent future housing crises”.
She said: “This cannot happen again. Governments must ensure the building and delivery of sustainable social and affordable housing output.”
A sample of 20 properties out of 48,000 can hardly be considered representative of the total, that is only 0.04%. To have a 95% confidence level, normal in statistics, the sample size should be over 100 times greater, about 2,000 properties.
@D. Memery: Sure that would likely cost billions just to complete the surveys!
@Chris Linehan: not sure it would be billions, but not cheap either, which in of itself highlights just how big the issue is. However, that still doesn’t diminish the fact that the report lacks any statistical foundation from which to draw valid empirical conclusions from such a small sample size compared to what is required.
Every town and village in the country has derelict /vacant properties.. they may not be derilict , but it’s a shame to see them empty.. I would love to see the properties chosen for this survey.
@Daniel Morrissey: it is a shame – but many are in the wrong place to assist with the homeless housing list despite the fact that many small villages could do with an injection of residents
@Daniel Morrissey: Many of which should be razed to the ground and a building with a suitable layout put back in it’s place. The trouble is, these properties are an expensive site so buyers are not interested – and often the owners don’t have the funds to carry out the work. Renovating them doesn’t appeal either because the costs are as much as the aforementioned replace and build. Then add in the stringent planning laws and people just say it’s not worth it. It’s a vicious circle.
Sure derelict buildings are costly to repair, but where and what type of ones. The ones with 50 acre land close to Dublin that nobody can buy bar the crony friend in government / council member / builder… who will get 100.000 free renovation ticket?
I can smell the trickery being cook!
Cpo them , put them up for auction and let the market decide , anyone not developing them within 3 years forfeits the property and what they paid back to the state
Of course a property that is not suitable for living in is exempt from LPT – local property tax – so the idea of paying someone to repair a property sounds great on paper but suddenly this property becomes liable to a tax that did not apply before. One would also be well advised to insure the property. There are ongoing maintenance charges Also, if one rents the property after renovation, one is faced with more taxes and responsibility and also the prospect of not being able to sell the property because of sitting tenants. Why not lease them to the local authority who then become responsible for repair and maintenance and all charges etc. not to mention being able to give homes to people on the housing list
@Niall Ó Cofaigh: I see where are you coming from Niall, do you think that if somebody has building connections or even a company, they could take the 50.000 or 100.000 free to renovate the house nicely, sell it to or even better rent it to the local authority that as you said “have people in the housing list” for a nice price, and pocket the money over and over and over… one house at a time or 50.
Another advantage will be that renovating cost less most times than building from scratch but you can sell it for the same market value pretty much. Better margin! Sounds like a great business to me.
Buildings not suitable for renovation should be forfeited to the state at site value. That might make the owners renovate them on time.
@Tom O’Hanlon: Unfair on owners who just don’t have the funds to renovate.
Total lies, fantastic Herbert Sims buildings lying idle in Ballybough under the shadow of Croke Park and have been for years not sure how many families they could house.
have your say