Almost 200,000 empty properties are key to alleviating housing crisis

Owners of the 198,358 vacant homes in the State must be incentivised to rent or lease them to alleviate the accommodation crisis, says Niamh Randall.

There are 7,167 people in emergency accommodation in Ireland and many thousands more without a place to call home. Yet, there are 198,358 empty homes. About 13% of the housing stock is vacant, twice the level of a functioning housing market.

This “low-hanging fruit” offers significant opportunities to provide permanent homes for people who urgently need them.