COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, September 09, 2013

MOTION NO. 12

MOTION: Councillor C. King

That this Council calls on the Manager to make additional efforts to establish some type of forum or grouping that would include SDCC, An Garda Síochána and representatives from the banks to deal with the escalating problems of repossessed homes in our Estates that are left unsecured which is causing enormous problems for residents with anti-social youths taking over the homes with the banks seemingly unconcerned with the damage done to their assets or the social problems that are caused by their abandonment

REPORT:

The Council's Housing Department has established a schedule of private properties that are vacant which in some cases have been vacant for some time and have become known mainly due to the reasons outlined in the motion. Currently we have identified 10 such properties that are vacant/abandoned, 8 of which were secured by the Council to prevent them becoming a place of anti-social behaviour and against further damage.

The Council has in most cases identified the financial institution that now holds title to these units and we are in the process of contacting these individually to deal with the abandonment of the units and recovery of our costs. We have been advised that under the Local Government (Sanitary Services) Act 1964 the Council has the statutory power to recover the cost of the works carried out on a dangerous building by way of a contract debt. Judgement of a debt can be registered as a judgement mortgage on a property. It is our intention in the first instance to pursue this avenue with the identified registered owners.