Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I raise the issue of the current property shortage in the country. I was struck by the new report released by the National Oversight and Audit Commission which found that fewer than half the 31 local authorities have ever carried out a condition survey of their social housing stock. The study also revealed that 4,200 housing units were vacant in autumn 2015, and more than 13% of these had been empty for longer than three years. This is completely unacceptable in light of the housing crisis and the chronic shortage or rental accommodation, especially when we hear today of the grave situation in Dublin, where rental property prices have increased by over 40% while availability has gone down by 80%. Many factors are contributing to this, including taxation and landlords leaving the rental market. While I commend the fact that there were improvements for those who wish to rent out a room in their house in the most recent action plan, I believe there is more that can be done. I previously called for a tax on empty homes to incentivise private owners of vacant homes to do the necessary renovations and rent out these properties. In Vancouver, Canada, this has already been introduced after a tax on empty houses under private ownership was approved. It is my understanding that under the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act, a similar levy is to be introduced in the future, perhaps in 2018. It will be up to the local authorities in each area to identify these vacant homes or sites. However, due to the extent of the crisis we need to implement this at an earlier date. It should be fast-tracked. We could easily carry out a publicity campaign of some sort to inform home owners of vacant properties that they would be liable to such a levy if they do not sort out their properties and rent them out as soon as possible.