Addressing vacancy and making efficient use of existing housing stock is a key priority for Government.
In Pathway 4 of Housing for All on Addressing Vacancy and Efficient Use of Existing Stock, the Government set out a blueprint to support bringing vacant and derelict properties back into use as homes.
The Vacant Homes Action Plan, published in January 2023, built on Pathway 4 and set out the various actions that were being pursued to return vacant properties back into use as homes. My Department publishes annual progress reports on the Action Plan outlining what has been achieved each year and plans for the year ahead, and in the coming weeks I will publish the 2025 Progress Report.
The Government is focused on the need to rejuvenate Dublin City Centre. In May 2024, the Dublin City Taskforce was established to provide recommendations to rejuvenate Dublin City Centre, publishing its report in October 2024. The Department of An Taoiseach has convened an Interdepartmental Group to examine the recommendations made, with my Department represented on that Group. The Group is currently preparing its report for consideration by Government.
Call 3 of my Department’s Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) provides funding for an approved programme of acquisitions in each local authority to address long term vacancy and dereliction in URDF towns and cities, and supports the key objectives of Housing for All and Town Centre First. My Department continues to work closely with Dublin City Council in the first instance to maximise the use of its existing €10m allocation, €2m of which has been pre-funded, bearing in mind it is a revolving fund.
Another key initiative in addressing vacancy was the introduction of the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant. In providing support to refurbish vacant and derelict properties, the grant is making the transformation of these properties into homes an affordable option for buyers and owners. Across Dublin, over 1,250 Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant applications were received to the end of 2024, with 72% approved (905) to the end of 2024. Almost 15% of these were paid, which means 189 properties have been brought back into use as homes. This number will continue to rise as works are completed.
Finally, in terms of vacancy levels, data in relation to vacant properties is available from a number of sources such as the CSO/Census and GeoDirectory publications. In the latest GeoDirectory Residential Buildings Report for Q4 2024, the average vacancy rate across Ireland had dropped to 3.8% - the lowest rate recorded since 2013. While there has been some increase in commercial vacancy, GeoDirectory report that the rate of residential vacancy across Dublin is 1.2%. While varying levels of residential vacancy are indicated in the different data sources, the overall trend is downwards and vacancy levels are reducing.
My Department will continue to engage and support Dublin City Council in tackling vacancy and dereliction.
