Rise in vacant council properties in Limerick sparks concerns

Derelict houses in St Mary's Park, Limerick.

The level of vacant, council-owned properties in Limerick is a concern in the midst of a housing crisis, a homeless support worker has said.

328 council houses in Limerick are registered as vacant, 31 more than were reported in April of this year.

Meanwhile, the latest figures from the Department of Housing’s Homeless report shows that 222 people were registered as being homeless in Limerick as of April, one more than was recorded in the previous report from February.

A spokesperson from Limerick City and County Council confirmed that of the 328 vacant properties on its register, over half are in need of refurbishment before they can be occupied.

Altogether, 179 properties need work done, with 75 needing minor refurbishment and 104 being listed as needing major refurbishment, meaning that they would require a deep retrofit, including works such as the installation of windows and bathrooms and electrical work.

In comparison, in the previous report by the Irish Examiner in April, a total of 157 needed work done before they could be allocated to tenants. Of this, 77 were in need of minor refurbishment and 80 of the properties were in need of major refurbishment. 

Una Burns, policy officer with the housing charity Novas says the level of vacant homes is a concern.

“Particularly in the context of rising homelessness in the city among single individuals, with rises in both April and May. The number of houses awaiting allocation and the number of houses that require minor refurbishment, accounting for 110 in total, is of particular concern,” Ms Burns said.

“These are units that can be turned around quickly and are less resource-intensive than units requiring major works. With the rising rents and lack of supply in the private rented market, social housing is increasingly important in accommodating low-income and at-risk households,” she added.

Currently, 30 properties are registered as being allocated, meaning that they have been refurbished and allocated to tenants but have not yet been accepted by them.

A further 35 are registered as available for letting, which means they are waiting to be allocated to tenants.

A spokesperson for Limerick City and County Council also confirmed that currently, 84 are listed as other, meaning they are registered as not being not for housing allocation or properties to be demolished. 

In a statement last night, the council said: "On average, 12 properties are being returned to the Limerick City and County Council stock every month that require inspection and then refurbishment works so they become available for letting. In addition on average, 10 new properties are being added to the stock every month that are available for allocation (long term leasing etc.).

"Therefore the number of vacant properties vary at any given time. However, the significant increase in the number of vacant properties since March is due to the batch of CPO properties that were added which allowed for the Council to begin the process of reletting.

"At present, these properties are being inspected, and the team is being formed to commence the works required. The figures for vacant houses also includes those homes which have been allocated to prospective tenants but have yet to be formally accepted. The whole process is too complex to simply compare monthly figures."