Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 November 2016
296. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the average time taken by each local authority to refurbish and relet properties including houses purchased by local authorities. [37513/16]
View answerThe time taken by local authorities to refurbish and re-let properties varies significantly depending on the condition of each property and whether it is an existing social house that is being refurbished after becoming vacant, or a newly acquired, second-hand house. In the latter category, local authorities acquire houses that range in condition from those that require minimal refurbishment prior to re-letting, to those that may be largely derelict and require extensive refurbishment and building works.
It is appropriate that local authorities have the scope to acquire all types of second-hand properties, from those that can be made available for early letting to those that require considerable refurbishment. Given the range of different scenarios that are faced by local authorities when acquiring houses, my Department does not collect statistics on the time they take for refurbishment. In all scenarios, it is important that local authorities undertake the works as swiftly as possible and my Department continues to provide the necessary funding to support such situations.
Statistics in relation to re-letting times for existing social houses that are refurbished after becoming vacant are published by the National Oversight & Audit Commission and the most recently available statistics, in respect of 2015, are available at the following link: http://noac.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/2015-PI-Report.pdf.
These statistics show the average time from date of vacation of a dwelling to the date when a new tenancy had commenced. This is different from the time taken to refurbish a dwelling and other factors will impact on the time taken to re-let a social house, in particular the possibility of offers for houses being refused.
