Some €6.5m spent on returning vacant Limerick houses to market

There were 297 properties registered as vacant at the end of March across Limerick city and county.

More than €6m has been spent returning vacant social housing units to the market over the past six years in Limerick.

From 2014 to 2020, 393 units were returned to use as part of the Voids Stimulus Programme, with Limerick City and County Council receiving €6.5m in funding to do so.

The figures were revealed after Sinn Féin TD Maurice Quinlivan asked Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien in a parliamentary question if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there are 152 vacant properties voids owned by Limerick City and County Council.

Boarded up house in Ballinacurra Weston #Limerick

Government action needed to deal with vacant houses across #Limerick
2,374 people on Housing waiting list
297 vacant homes
Cut the red tape - release funding @DeptHousingIRL
 @DarraghOBrienTD@LimerickCouncil pic.twitter.com/Svsr4n0ZXe

— Maurice Quinlivan TD (@QuinlivanTD) April 23, 2021

Mr Quinlivan also asked the number of applications for funding under the vacant properties voids programme for 2020 received from Limerick City and County Council that have been approved.

Voids programme

In response, Mr O'Brien said that since 2014, exchequer funding has been provided through the department's voids programme to support local authorities in preparing vacant units for re-letting.

“This funding was introduced originally to tackle long-term vacant units and is now increasingly targeted to support authorities to ensure minimal turnaround and re-let times for vacant stock,” Mr O'Brien said.

“In relation to Limerick City and County Council, the local authority has received some €6.5m of funding from 2014 to 2020, resulting in 393 units being returned to use,” he added.

Mr O’Brien went on to say his department would continue to support local authorities in their work remediating vacant social housing properties in 2021.

“In preparation for this year’s programme, correspondence was issued to all local authorities requesting they provide figures on the total number of vacant units within their social housing stock as at January 2021,” Mr O’Brien said.

“This process will help inform funding requirements and allocations for this year’s programme. A further communication in respect of the 2021 voids programme will issue to all local authorities shortly,” he added.

It comes as earlier this month, the Irish Examiner reported there were 297 properties registered as vacant at the end of March across Limerick city and county.

Out of these, 157 need work done before they can be allocated to tenants.

In need of major refurbishment

According to the council, 80 of the properties are in need of major refurbishment, meaning they would require a 'deep retrofit', including the installation of windows and bathrooms and electrical work.

Out of that 80, 54 would be classed as derelict, meaning they require structural repairs such as work on the roof, or works to fix damage caused by fire or flooding, while 77 are in need of minor refurbishment.

A total of 26 houses are available for letting and are waiting to be allocated to tenants. Another 34 are homes that have been refurbished and allocated to tenants but not yet accepted by them.

One house is classed as “mortgage to rent”, while 79 are classed as “other”, and “awaiting allocation of funding so works can begin.” 

According to the council, between April and December 2020, 146 homes were brought back into use by LCCC, which prioritised these works when the coronavirus pandemic impacted the provision of services throughout the country.