COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, September 13, 2021

QUESTION NO. 11

QUESTION: Councillor C. King

"To ask the CEO how many vacant Council owned homes are there currently throughout the County and what the average turnaround time is for the reallocation of same".

REPLY:

Our housing maintenance section is currently managing re-let works on a total of 95 vacant social housing properties as follows:
• 26 properties where works are complete, with an average period of 20 weeks vacant from surrender to the completion of works.
• 42 properties where re-let works are in progress (all, bar one, of which are scheduled to be completed within 4 weeks) and with an estimated average number of weeks from surrender to works complete of 23 weeks.
• 21 properties awaiting quotations from contractors (all projected to be complete by the end of October 2021, based on an assessment of works required) with a projected average vacancy time from surrender to works complete of an estimated 16 weeks.
• 6 properties awaiting engineers' reports to allow confirm the scope and scale of works required.

The allocations processes are underway for many of the properties above, with our allocations team prioritising properties currently or soon to be vacant.

In 2021, the average re-let time, up to and including July 2021, was 27 weeks. During August 2021, a number of longer-term vacancies were successfully allocated following intensive efforts over previous weeks to source suitable tenants for properties that had been subject of estate management issues, significant maintenance requirements and multiple refusals. The average re-let time for these properties was approximately 40 weeks but this has now significantly lowered the number of longer-term voids in our housing stock and also reduces the negative impact of longer-term vacant properties on local areas.

Our housing allocations, maintenance and estate management teams are engaged in a review of all their inputs relating to the re-let process, including the surrender process, appointment of contractors, delivery schedule of works, the allocation of properties to tenants and the use of the new integrated housing system, to increase efficiencies and improve our average re-let times.

The most recent cumulative national study across all local authorities showed a national median period of vacancy (re-let time) of 46 weeks (Overview of Vacant/Void Social Housing in Local Authorities by the Local Government Audit Service VFM Unit, July 2021).