My Department has provided funding of €50,000 per annum to each of the 31 local authorities since July 2018. The funding is provided to support the work of the Vacant Homes Office in each local authority each year. All 31 local authorities have claimed the funding up to June 2021. My Department will issue a circular in the coming days to invite local authorities to claim the funding up to June 2022. The total amount paid to all 31 local authorities to fund Vacant Homes Offices to date is €4.65m.
Each of the 31 local authorities has appointed a Vacant Homes Officer since 2018, however, there have been many staff changes in the Local authorities in the past 3 years resulting in various different staff members filling the role within the local authorities.
In the table below the date of appointment of the current Vacant Homes Officer is provided and whether the officer is appointed in a full time capacity, dedicated only to the duties of the Vacant Homes Officer, or if they are assigned other responsibilities within the local authority.
Prior to Covid 19 restrictions being introduced, the Vacant Homes Officers submitted quarterly returns to the Vacant Homes Unit in my Department on the number of properties inspected and number of properties brought back into use through the various schemes in their administrative areas. Following the lifting of the restrictions local authorities will recommence this reporting exercise in Q3 of 2021.
Local Authority
|
Date of Appointment of current VHO
|
Full time dedicated VHO posts Yes / No
|
Other responsibilities assigned to Vacant Homes Officers who are
not
in full-time dedicated VHO posts
|
Carlow County Council
|
July 2018
|
NO
|
Senior Executive Officer in Housing overseeing various schemes and projects.
|
Cavan County Council
|
February 2019
|
NO
|
|
Clare County Council
|
June 2021
|
YES
|
|
Cork City Council
|
2019
|
No
|
Derelict Sites /Vacant Sites work / Audit Work/ Budgets.
|
Cork County Council
|
February 2018
|
NO
|
Senior Executive Officer in Housing overseeing various schemes and projects.
|
Donegal County Council
|
July 2018
|
NO
|
Responsibility as SEO for all Housing & Corporate Services delivered via 5 Municipal Districts. The duties of VHO are decentralised and incorporated into the roles of different staff in different parts of the County.
|
Dublin City Council
|
January 2017
|
YES
|
None
|
Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council
|
June 2019
|
NO
|
Other duties include administrative tasks in the following sections:
Long-Term Leasing
Housing Adaptation Grants
Disabled Persons Alterations
|
Fingal County Council
|
May 2019
|
NO
|
Social Housing Delivery Programme.
|
Galway City Council
|
September 2019
|
NO
|
Acquisitions,Long term lease scheme, The Repair and Lease scheme, Mortgage to Rent scheme and Buy & Renew scheme
|
Galway County Council
|
February 2021
|
NO
|
Long term leasing, Acquisitions
|
Kerry County Council
|
June 2019
|
YES
|
None
|
Kildare County Council
|
July 2018
|
NO
|
Administrative Officer in the Capital Team with responsibility for the acquisitions/build programmes/Part V/land management/CAS Schemes etc.
|
Kilkenny County Council
|
April 2018
|
NO
|
Housing Capital Projects (sole Architect in KCC)
Design, Site appraisal & feasibility,
Forward Planning, Consultants Liaison
CAS & CALF project Appraisals
Age-friendly Housing Tech. advisor
Community Projects-RRDF projects
Corporate Project Liaison
Access Officer
|
Laois County Council
|
September 2018
|
NO
|
RAS & Leasing, Private Rented Inspections
|
Leitrim County Council
|
2018
|
NO
|
80% VHO20% Capital Housing Regeneration and Housing. Refurbishment
|
Limerick City and County Council
|
20 July 2020
|
NO
|
Duties under the Derelict Sites Act, 1990.
Duties under the Housing Act, 1964
Staff and office management
|
Longford County Council
|
July 2018
|
NO
|
Senior Executive Officer in Housing overseeing various schemes and projects.
|
Louth County Council
|
December 2019
|
NO
|
Oversight of Housing Financial Dept.
|
Mayo County Council
|
May 2020
|
NO
|
Manage RAS/STL/HAP/RLS/LTL/CALF/CAS
|
Meath County Council
|
October 2019
|
NO
|
Vacant Housing Office – 80%Approved Housing Bodies – 20%
|
Monaghan County Council
|
July 2018
|
NO
|
Delivering Rebuilding Ireland Programme
|
Offaly County Council
|
August 2018
|
NO
|
DPG, Disabled Person Grants
|
Roscommon County Council
|
October 2020VHO position has been consistently maintained since 2018.
|
VHO post is substantially full time
|
- 75% of the postholders’ role is VHO related- Derelict Sites and Dangerous Places; - Planning enforcement. Due to backlogs in some other areas of work, primarily arising from Covid 19 related issues and restrictions, the VHO officer has been deployed in recent months to assist in other areas of work. Prior to that, VHO work accounted for 100% of postholder activity.
|
Sligo County Council
|
September 2018
|
NO
|
Planning, Enforcement and Building Control
|
South Dublin County Council
|
November 2019
|
No
|
Rent Accounts and Assessment
Sale of Local Authority to tenants
Local Authority Mortgage Loans/Rebuilding Ireland Home Loans
Tenant Purchase
Mortgage Allowance Scheme
Inspector of Housing Vacant Homes
|
Tipperary County Council
|
November 2018
|
YES
|
|
Waterford City and County Council
|
July 2018
|
NO
|
Covid-19 Champion in the Housing Department for Maintenance Section, dealing with the Repair and Lease Scheme in Housing Supply Team.
|
Westmeath County Council
|
July 2018
|
NO
|
Broadband Officer
|
Wexford County Council
|
July 2018
|
NO
|
Homeless Co-Ordinator,Private Rented Sector Enforcement of StandardsRAS Co-OrdinatorLeasing Co-OrdinatorRepair & Leasing Co-ordinatorAnnual and Monthly LG Returns
|
Wicklow County Council
|
December 2020
|
NO
|
Housing Maintenance
Private rented accommodation inspections including HAP, leasing & repair and lease inspections.
Housing Adaptation Grants
|