Website gathers data on vacant homes amid concerns over new tax

‘LOCAL GOVERNMENT WANTS TO ENGAGE WITH OWNERS’ Tom Gilligan, Director of Services, Mayo County Council.

Anton McNulty

MAYO County Council has led the development of a website designed to gather national information on vacant houses and help the country achieve optimum occupancy. While the new technology has been trumpeted as aiding the Government’s efforts to reduce homelessness and the blight of vacant properties, the Minister for Housing has now warned that those in ownership of vacant properties can expect changes to come their way. This has prompted a fear that he is planning on introducing a vacant property tax.
The national website www.vacanthomes.ie allows the general public to log details of vacant houses in their locality. Its launch last week comes just one month ahead of the Government’s planned announcement of its Vacant Homes Strategy.
Census 2016 identified 183,312 vacant homes (not including 62,148 vacant holiday homes) in Ireland and a recent GeoDirectory report estimated vacant stock of 96,243.
The west has the highest number of vacant homes in Ireland per capita. The highest proportion of vacant homes per 1,000 population is in Leitrim, with 112 vacants per 1,000. This is followed by Roscommon and Mayo which have 82.47 and 81.2 vacants respectively. The State average is 38.5, with South Dublin having the lowest number of vacants with 12.54.
Mayo County Council with the assistance of a web-design team, based in the west of Ireland, decided to build and set up a website in order to address the issue of vacant homes and to help reduce the quantity of such properties across the country.
Tom Gilligan, Director of Services with Mayo County Council, said the goal is to create new homes from existing vacant housing stock.
“We recognise that locally generated information will be crucial in helping us to understand better and deal with the whole issue of vacant homes and empty properties. As a sector, local government wants to engage with owners to bring these vacant homes back into use,” he said.

Ministerial warning
While the website’s main functions have been described as ‘raising awareness of the potential of vacant homes’ and ‘using data to help develop ideas, policies and strategies in the areas of housing’,  the Government have signalled that wider changes are in the pipeline in relation to vacant properties.
This was further highlighted yesterday (Monday), when Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy warned property owners with second and vacant properties that they ‘should be on notice that changes are coming’.
Minister Murphy, who has endorsed the new website, explained that part of The Vacant Homes Strategy will be to introduce incentives and penalties to encourage property owners to release vacant homes. Many believe these penalties include a vacant house tax.
Commenting on the Government’s approach, Pat Davitt, the Chief Executive of the Institute of Professional Auctioneers & Valuers (IPAV) questioned how an ‘additional State levy’ would solve the homelessness problem. It will only result in people who already pay the property tax being taxed a second time, he contended.
“Last year’s Housing Agency study ‘Tacking Empty Homes’ found the issue of vacancy is most acute in areas such as the Upper Shannon and the west, and not in urban areas where demand is most acute. Quite apart from that, it is highly questionable as to whether or not an additional State levy should be placed on houses in respect of which a property tax is already being paid,” he said.
Mr Davitt said it is critical that Government Budget policy remains firmly focused on delivering new homes.
Urging people to use www.vacanthomes.ie Tom Gilligan confirmed that the site will generate more opportunities for citizens and their communities to access housing and allow the creation of new homes from existing vacant dwellings in an environmentally sustainable manner. It will also provide an opportunity for the local government sector to gain a better understanding of the issue of vacant homes.
“This site operates in real time; it will provide information and advice to various stakeholders and can provide up to the minute statistics and results that will lead to better decision making in the future,” he said.
Speaking yesterday, Fianna FΡil’s housing spokesperson, Barry Cowen, said the owners of vacant properties should face levies if they do not accept ‘generous incentives’ to help them bring their homes onto the market.