Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 21 October 2025

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage

Vacancy and Dereliction: Discussion

2:00 am

Mr. Nick Taaffe:

I do not think the Deputy is mad. There is definitely some sense there. It is interesting. Obviously, we have the tax on rental income, which is one issue. When we look at it in terms of vacant homes, they are risky from the outset and the cost profile is high, and the reward at the end is taxed so heavily that it disincentivises people turning these houses around. Why go through the process of a difficult project that will cost a lot when at the very end the tax is extremely high and the landlord may not see a break-even point for a decade or so? In terms of this topic that we are discussing today, I would say "Yes" and ask whether we can have some sort of tax relief for someone who goes through the process of turning a vacant building into a rental property. That is a good point. There need to be proper reliefs and incentives at the end of a project to encourage someone to start the project. That would be a good view that we have on it.

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