ALMOST 378 local authority dwellings lie vacant in Limerick, as the number of households on the housing waiting list in Limerick city area alone stands at almost four thousand.
A report in The Irish Times from the four Dublin local authorities, as well as from Cork city, Galway city and Limerick city show that vacancy rates vary from 1.3 per cent in Fingal to 13 per cent in Limerick.
Limerick City Council has 378 vacant dwellings out of a total stock of 2.800 (13.5 per cent).
Dublin City Council has the highest number of vacant dwellings, at 592, out of a total stock of 24,539 units of housing (2.4 per cent vacancy).
Cork City Council has 431 vacant dwellings out of total stock of 8,755 (4.31 per cent vacancy).
The number of housing maintenance staff – who carry out the works to dwellings to get them ready for reletting – has fallen across all authorities over the past three years.
The report also went on to say that a spokeswoman for Limerick City Council, which has the highest vacancy rate, pointed out 269 of its 378 vacant dwellings are in regeneration areas and awaiting demolition.
Bob Jordan, director of the housing charity Threshold, said in the report that the findings underlined the need for the Department of the Environment to set national limits on how many social housing units should lie empty at any one time.
“There should also be targets for how long is acceptable for a house to stay vacant.”
He said the recent announcement that Nama would make 2,000 units of housing available for social housing was “meaningless when almost 2,000 units of social housing are lying empty”.
Limerick City Council has 378 vacant dwellings out of a total stock of 2,800 (13.5 per cent).
Dublin City Council has the highest number of vacant dwellings, at 592, out of a total stock of 24,539 units of housing (2.4 per cent vacancy).
Cork City Council has 431 vacant dwellings out of total stock of 8,755 (4.31 per cent vacancy).
