Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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266. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of vacant buildings in Dublin city and county; the number of property owners that are engaging with discussions in regard to bringing these buildings back into use; the number that are refusing to bring the property back into use; the number that are refusing to engage with his Department and its agencies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42682/20]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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The table below provides national and Dublin City vacancy data drawn from Census 2011 and Census 2016 (it should be noted that those numbers were recorded at a single point in time and included houses for sale or for rent, as well as homes that are not recoverable for occupancy for a wide range of reasons). This data excludes “temporarily vacant homes” and “holiday homes” in the classification of vacant dwellings.

Between 2011 and 2016, the vacancy rate fell both nationally (from 11.53% to 9.15%) and in Dublin City (from 10.06% to 7.66%).

In respect of vacant local authority housing stock; between 2014 and 2019, Dublin City Council restored 3,415 such units and recovered them into use as residential social lettings.  Over 3,000 of these units were supported (€55m in funding) by my Department through the Voids Programme which provides support to local authorities in preparing vacant units for re-letting.

In an effort to tackle vacancy among the private dwelling stock in the city, Dublin City Council is actively promoting two schemes, established by my Department, namely the ‘Buy and Renew’ and ‘Repair and Lease’ schemes.

The Table below summarises the results of those efforts by Dublin City Council. There are currently 382 identified vacant dwellings that Dublin City Council consider are potentially suitable for the ‘Buy and Renew’ and ‘Repair and Lease’ schemes. Of these, 313 of these have been inspected and subsequently a title search has been conducted for 95 units. Title research was not conducted on all inspected properties as some did not appear un-occupied or long-term vacant when inspected while others were sale agreed, under refurbishment, demolished or subject to planning applications.

The City Council indicated that 67 residential property owners with vacant dwellings have not responded to their written correspondence, seeking their interest in participating in the schemes.

For property owners who wish to convert a property, Bringing Back Homes - Manual for the Reuse of Existing Buildings, a comprehensive overview of the regulatory requirements for converting and developing existing properties, has been published by my Department. The manual is available on my Department’s website on:

My Department also provides support, financial and advisory, to the Vacant Homes Officers in each of the 31 local authorities who have been mandated to quickly identify vacancy hotspots, particularly in areas where there is a high demand for homes, and to engage with property owners in terms of advising them of the opportunities available, to assist in bringing vacant properties into productive use for housing purposes.