Written answers

Tuesday, 28 November 2017

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

Vacant Properties

Photo of Eoin Ó BroinEoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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721. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the progress made to date on action 5.3 of Rebuilding Ireland on work with local authorities to speed up the refurbishment and where possible the re-letting of vacant social housing units; the number of vacant units in the south of Dublin city centre; the average length of time units are vacant in this area, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50346/17]

Photo of Eoghan MurphyEoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Social housing stock can become vacant due to various circumstances as would be expected, and, in the normal course, social homes will be re-let by local authorities, after appropriate repairs are carried out. 

All local authorities have been requested to achieve the most efficient turnaround of their vacant social housing stock between lettings through more ongoing maintenance and upgrading of their properties, so as to minimise "down-time", and quicker identification of new tenants through, for example, the choice-based letting initiative.

In January this year, my Department issued regulations for Standards for Rented Houses and these standards apply to social housing and provide common reletting performance standards across all local authorities. The Voids Programme, introduced in 2014, provides additional support to local authorities in remediating vacant units. This funding is available as an additional support over and above what local authorities provide themselves towards such work.

My Department does not collate data on the length of time local authority dwellings remain vacant or the number of vacant units at any particular time. It is a matter for each local authority to identify and submit details of relevant properties for inclusion in the Voids Programme.  

My Department is continuing to engage on an ongoing basis with local authorities with a view to progressing measures to bring as many vacant and underutilised properties as possible back into use. All Chief Executives have been requested to designate vacant home officers in their local authorities to examine Census 2016 and other vacancy data in order to identify - through their Vacant Homes Action Plans - priority "vacant hot-spot areas" and properties that can be quickly brought back into use.

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