Government funding for renovating vacant council homes in Kerry town half what is needed, council told

Kerry has one of the worst records when it comes to the length of time it takes to turn around council houses, taking on average 64 weeks, Tralee council heard

The meeting of Tralee Municipal District heard there was huge demand for social housing in Tralee, and there was large and unmet demand for affordable housing. Picture: Domnick Walsh

Government funding for council-owned housing that is vacated and has to be fixed before being re-let is less than half what is required, a council meeting in Tralee has heard.

Kerry has one of the worst records when it comes to the length of time it takes to turn around council houses. In 2024, it took about 64 weeks on average to relet council properties.

The meeting of Tralee Municipal District heard there was huge demand for social housing in Tralee, and there was large and unmet demand for affordable housing.

The figure for approved applications who have selected an area in the Tralee Municipal District and other areas as a choice stands at 2,364, the meeting heard. The net need for housing in Tralee is 1,257, and this excludes transfers.

More than a dozen properties in Tralee are formally on the derelict sites register, with another dozen likely to be added. Other properties, some prominent commercial sites, also lie vacant and are in a poor state, the meeting heard.

As of June 24, a total of 15 properties within Tralee town are formally entered on the Derelict Sites Register, according to a written reply to councillors.

“In addition, active case files are ongoing in respect of a further 13 properties, which are presently under assessment,” it added.

“In addition, through proactive engagement with property owners under the Derelict Sites Act, some 11 properties have been successfully removed from dereliction and returned to active use.”

The average spend per vacant house by the council in Kerry is €22,484. The grant allocation from the Department of Housing for each house is generally about €11,000.

But where properties that have been worked on have to be turned over a second time, the council is not funded by the Department of Housing.

“The department does not fund a second void,” Vincent Horgan, senior engineer in the council housing section told the meeting.

The department's view was the council should be using its rental incomes for a lot of the works, he said.

In a given year, Kerry County Council would be allocated funding for 50 to 60 voids, but this could vary.

“Every year is different. It is hard to plan a voids programme when you are not sure what funding you are going to get any given year,” Mr Horgan said.

This article was funded by the Local Democracy Scheme