HOUSEHOLDERS in unfinished estates in the region may find themselves exempt from the recently introduced household charge, following a new directive.
A list of properties considered ‘unfinished’ has just been published by the Department of Environment on the Household Charge website.
According to the notice, at least some of the homes will escape the €100 charge.
There are a total of 35 county Limerick estates on the list, seven in Limerick city as well as two in Shannon and four in East Clare which come under the category of ‘unfinished developments,’ and which may be exempt from the household charge.
According to the website, a person who owns property in an unfinished estate in the list provided may be exempt from the charge if the property is in the category of a no- receiver having been appointed and the developer is still in place, but effectively inactive. The second exempt category is one in which the development has been effectively abandoned and is posing serious problems for residents.
But Labour councillor, Pascal Fitzgerald, said the list is not specific enough as it does not single out the developments which are in these categories.
The councillor had earlier called on the minister to outline the situation for people living in such estates.
“This is just not clear enough and I’ll be seeking more information. We have people living in these estates and if they ask to get a street light fixed, they’re told that it’s outside the council’s hands; yet on the other hand they are being asked to pay a household charge. It’s ridiculous. And we are still no wiser as to who is to pay and who is exempt or why one category of estate is exempt and another isn’t”, the councillor told the Limerick Post.
