Tipperary Sinn Féin Councillors David Dunne & Annemarie Ryan are calling on the government to resource local authorities to bring vacant social houses back into use quicker. The Councillors say delays are unacceptable given the ongoing housing emergency. Over 750 Council Homes are currently boarded up for over a year across the country according to data released under the Freedom of Information Process
Councillor David Dunne adds that such vacant homes can sometimes become an area that attracts dumping and anti-social behaviour. Councillor Annemarie Ryan highlights that the allocation of €11,000 from central government for reletting vacant properties is too low for properties that need significant repair.
The data shows that in County Tipperary the average re-let time for a vacant council house is over 30 weeks. There are currently 31 houses empty for more than 6 months out of a total of 100 vacant social homes currently in an overall stock of 5,590. Sinn Fein wants action to reduce the reletting time to 12 weeks and an end to long term vacant council properties.
It is understood that the council contracts out the repairs and sometimes bundles a number of homes into the same contract. The tendering process also adds to the time involved in reletting homes.
Council officials responding at yesterday’s meeting caution that one of the houses that is vacant for over a year is to be demolished and rebuilt but it must be listed as vacant until the Part 8 Planning process is completed. The Council expects to deliver 260 new social houses this year but confirms that only one or at a maximum two houses will be purchased under the Tenant in Situ Scheme due to a lack of funding. Director of Housing, Jonathan Cooney revealed that the 2025 allocation of €5M will be used in the main to complete the purchase and any necessary upgrades to houses selected for purchase in late 2024. The scheme is intended to prevent a person with a Notice To Quit from entering homelessness as the Council buys the house if it is deemed a suitable addition to the Council’s Housing Stock.
At present there are 3,462 approved applicants on the Tipperary Housing List including 838 in the Tipperary Cahir Cashel District.
