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Updated 8.50am
HOUSING MINISTER Eoghan Murphy has warned those with a vacant second home that penalties are on the way if they don’t bring it back into use.
The housing department has announced a number of measures that are already underway to bring vacant homes into use, after government came under strong criticism last week over rising homeless numbers.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Murphy said his department are attempting to drill down into the number of vacant houses around the country.
Census 2016 identified 80,000 vacant homes across the country, however, the minister said many of these may have been empty due to a house being in the process of being sold or let, adding the figure could be closer to 25,000.
Murphy said he is currently in talks with the Attorney General, the Minister of Finance, Paschal Donohoe, and the Revenue Commissioners to establish how quickly the new measures can be introduced to encourage homeowners to get their second property back on the market.
The minister said he hopes to introduce incentives for property owners with a second home lying idle, “but also a penalty scheme… so we can get those properties back into use,” he said.
Murphy also wants his department to be given increased Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) powers.
He said he was putting homeowners with a second vacant house “on notice that changes are coming… penalties are coming”.
The exact detail of the levy or penalty has yet to be worked out with the minister for finance, however, Murphy said he wanted it to be introduced sooner rather than later.
Measures in place
The minister said a number of measures are already in place to tackle the number of vacant homes in the country.
Among these are the introduction of an Empty House Unit in the department in order to coordinate efforts to acquire vacant homes.
A vacant homes website has also been developed, which allows people to anonymously log possible vacant properties across the country.
There has also been an official call for local authorities to designate vacant homes officers in each of their areas to examine data from Census 2016.
The minister laid out other plans which involve trying to ensure the quick turnaround of vacant social housing stock between lettings. The department also said it would work with the Department of Health to explore how the homes of people in nursing homes could be used for new tenancies.
Murphy said he hopes to encourage homeowners in nursing homes to lease out their vacant houses, adding that he will be introducing incentives.
Commenting on the measures, Murphy said that vacant housing stock was important in the fulfilling of the government’s policy objectives.
“We’re building new houses and we’re going to build more, but with the pent-up demand in the system from years of little or no construction activity, we have to manage empty homes back into use,” he said.
“My department stands ready to offer assistance, advice and funding, where appropriate, to start this important work, which will ultimately feed into the Vacant Home Strategy later this Autumn.
As I’ve said before, there’s going to be a carrot and stick approach to this, which will be finalised in the coming month or so. People with property interests need to be made aware that we are moving quickly on this.
Homeless figures
Charity officials and opposition politicians strongly criticised Fine Gael last week, after Census 2016 data showed that homelessness among adults and children has risen significantly over the past six years.
The minister admitted the homeless problem had reached crisis-level.
“The figures are going in the wrong direction, we have to be very honest about that,” he said.
Rebuilding Ireland – the government’s housing strategy that was launched last year – has also been criticised, with homelessness figures rising every month since its publication.
However, Murphy said the homeless crisis would be a lot worse had the government not rolled out the housing strategy last year.
A review of Rebuilding Ireland is currently underway, with the minister saying previously that the vacant homes strategy would not be announced until September.
Additional reporting Christina Finn
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So they plan on ceasing property of elderly people in nursing homes & hand some of them out to the can’t work won’t work brigade. Sounds fair…
@Phil Anthropy: are homes that are under the fair deal scheme not rented out? That is a waste.
In the U.K. They have a scheme in place where properties which are vacant and neglected are refurbished and rented out to people who need homes. Sometimes they are worked on by unemployed. Job done?
@Gillian Weir Scully: What if you don’t want to be a landlord? You don’t want your family home turned over to someone else. You don”t wan the hassle of dealing with troublesome tenants, additional cost of repair, insurance etc. The fear that rent income will push you over tax limits and you lose out.
What about if you are in the progress of doing up the house to sell it but you have to save for the material because you don’t want to and can’t get a loan? Not easy to remove tenants once they are in.
Where does it stop? What about someone living in a 5 bedroom house – family has moved out – should we move them to a smaller house and give their house to someone else?
What about that spare bedroom you have, let’s move someone in there!
Where does it stop?
And why isn’t anyone talking about all the council homes that are bordered up?
What about those that are homeless that refused housing because it wasn’t in the area they wanted, the garden wasn’t big enough, it wasn’t close enough to mammy…..
@Phil Anthropy: no matter what they do someone will find an angle to complain (effectively trying to govern for the 1%). If someone is in a home with fair deal then leaving the house empty is just wrong. Why not rent it and use that money to fund the nursing home costs? The person won’t be coming home unless only a temporary stay recuperating
@Gillian Weir Scully: In a way, yes but there are issues – -am sure there may be answers
1..Some people that go in a nursing home don’t want to stay in there for long..and hope to go back home if things change…mentally this may give them heartache
2..Not everyone who goes in a home leaves a house empty – may still have a partner there (Presume this is for homes left alone)
3..Who would look after the home/tenant while this is ongoing — what happens if tenant causes issues and who would look after this or any problems that arise
@neilo: a lot of us don’t have time to yawn, we’re too busy earning enough to keep a home, pay our taxes, provide for our childrens’ future, etc.
@Phil Anthropy: vacant SECOND homes? Did I miss that the first time I read article or was it changed later?
@Daniel O’Leary:
1. Mum has just given up her home as she needs more care and she wants to feel safe. She is now in a nursing home where she is as happy as possible but I know the decision was hard and I admire her for doing this.
2. Yes only applies for vacant properties.
3. I am busy getting mum’s apartment ready for a tenant but I will use a letting agent to get the best possible tenant.
@B9xiRspG: have you no positive solutions to suggest?
@Gillian Weir Scully: Not all family members agree with what is to be done with a parents house when they go into a nursing home. It’s not possible always to rent them out.
@neilo: Glad to stopped yawning but got on the case who might disagree with you. There people who willing went into renting homes and lived to regret it or perhaps you never heard of people refusing to pay their rent and cost a fortune to get rid of them. Typical Fine Gael, people who have worked hard to get what they have are handy targets to get rid of the problem FG caused.
@Gillian Weir Scully:.
Each person has their own thoughts/ways
I know one instance where a old lady is in nursing home but keeps saying that she wants to go home later . At the age where people are trying to do their best for her but finding it hard . They keep saying she will go home to build up her spirit but unsure when that will be….can be hard
Thanks again Gillian for response and fair play to you and your mum in getting things sorted
@Phil Anthropy: “Murphy said he hopes to encourage homeowners in nursing homes to lease out their vacant houses, adding that he will be introducing incentives.”
encourage is not ceasing
@Do the Bort man: ‘Murphy also said he wants his department to be given increased Compulsory Acquisition Powers’. A term usually reserved for corrupt developing countries ‘expropriation’ is now becoming reality in Ireland. Open your eyes.
@Gillian Weir Scully: Open the councils homes that are bordered up. Take ownership of the NAMA houses that some councils decided weren’t suitable – in some cases because the house was too big.
All this instead of attacking the private sector to fix a government problem.
And if anyone refuses a house – because the back garden isn’t big enough or its not close enough to mammy – take them off the waiting list and send them home to mammy.
@neilo: “Well… lucky you. Why are you complaining?” What are you on about?
Lucky me because I’ve worked all my life, saved and purchased a home for my family?
I didn’t turn 18 – walk into the dole office hand out demanding money and then over the housing section looking for a free home.
@Phil Anthropy:
The term CPO tend to get trown around like they would solve problems,
The government has to pay FULL market value for a CPO, if they had the money or the will to do that they could just start buying houses on the market.
Now an older person in a nursing home who believes she will move home again will not want her home CPO’ed but the vulture funds will be delighted, they will make a fortune!
@B9xiRspG: You’ve said what i’ve being saying for years. If they lived to far from mammy, friends, not in the area they wanted, kids have to share a room or had a small garden they would require counselling for years to deal with that. That would not be allowed.
@neilo:why do you presume it was luck that would have a person in that position?because you’re unable to get off your hole nobody else should be able to attain wealth?socialist waster
@Gillian Weir Scully: What happens if the tenants refuse to vacate the house if it needs to be sold to pay nursing home bills and not every house owner want strangers living in their old home!
@neilo: I noticed one or two minor typo and after how I was left after a stroke in November when I was incapable of writing at all I think I am doing alright.
If you are making minor mistakes in what I wrote this link might be of help for you https://www.nala.ie/
That said I try not to worry about Dublin and I notice that many Dublin people could less about the rest of the country, including those who are “desperate” to get housed unwilling to locate. How on earth did you fool yourself into thinking that I am “you really suggesting the gov should do nothing..?” (that should be government) although there is so many things they did nothing about which has allowed to encourage conditions that allowed absentee landlords who can feed their greed behind willing companies masquerade as rental companies
@Phil Anthropy: Also…another bloody mess caused by successive Governments and guess who pays the penalty again? Yeah Joe Citizen! That also sounds fair….
I can still hear the useless Simon Coveney on morning Ireland, over a year ago, assuring us that there would be no more homeless living in temporary accommodation blah blah bloody blh.
We really need people in charge who know what they are doing if we want to see an improvement in our society, not the numpties running loose around Leinster House collecting enormous paychecks and unlimited unvouched expense accounts pretending to know what they’re doing.
Under fair deal you are not allowed to rent out your home.
The government like always is doing the most unpopular. Take on the elderly will be worse than Irish Water.
Loads of land Ireland, just build the blinking houses,,,,
Here’s a novel idea. How’s about we reform our whole political system, ensure we elect qualified and competent politicians who can actually do a job because the current bunch certainly can’t do it. Venezuela is a basket case. Ireland is a basket case being propped up by the EU. Our GDP is great but it matters to the EU. If our housing crisis and our health crisis mattered to the EU, they’d be fixed too.
@Adrian:
We elect the TDs
@Adrian: What makes someone qualified?
Theresa May = degree in geography.
Macron = degree in philosophy.
Leo = degree in medicine.
Trudeau = degree in literature.
Trump = degree in economics.
Merkel = degree in physics and PhD in physical chemistry.
Rajoy (Spain) = degree in law.
@Gary: A degree in politics / politic science? History degree and communications degrees would also help.
@Nick Allen: we elect people who break all their promises the day they get elected and then we are stuck with their lying asses for 4 years. And if theres a serius issue such as bailout the banks or not, allow american terrorists to land in shannon or not – we arent asked what we want because the majority of the public wouldnt vote correctly! We get a say in trivial matters such as gay marriage. Its not democracy, nowhere near it
@Gary: That pretty much shows how useless degrees have become…..
@Adrian: agree totally , it needs to be tackled from the top & needs to be filtered right down to local councillors (who also don’t know what they are doing). In kerry one particular councillor when asked why they proposed a change to the landscape character of the county apparently admitted “they were asleep on it & didn’t realise what they were doing “.
These people are of no use to society.
@jon-boy55: gay marriage is only trivial to you. You get a vote that’s democracy. Use it differently next time if you don’t like what’s there next.
@Gary: looks like Trump and Rajoy are the only two with at least the basic qualifications.
@Adrian: Ireland is a basket case? that gave me a good laugh, thanks….
You are missing the point. Politicians are doing their job. That job is doing everything possible to facilitate the free market economy even if it means rendering people homeless. It is pure Thatcherite economics
@B9xiRspG: Do you actually think a degree in politics will teach you how to run a country? It has nothing to do with the academic qualification you have. It’s the public that elect their representatives.
@Deborah Behan: You’ve completely missed the point Jon-Boy55 was making. Don’t let those blinkers fall off now……:)
@RJ.Fallon: Brian Cowan studied law.
@Nick Allen: Maybe so but that is not enough of accountability, there should be a recall of ‘politicians’ to account for their actions – they are being paid over the top for a job that is being circumvented by party politics.
@Gary: we need politicians who can actually manage. Unfortunately the quality of our politicians is so poor, it has proved that we’re one of the worst affected countries when crisis hits. Unfortunately we go away and vote the other half of the same shower of idiots into gov then. Fixing who and how we elect people into gov should fix a lot of our problems.
@Gary: __ It’s a pity Cowen didn’t study Monopoly.
@Gary: academic qualification and experience yes I do think that’s enough.
@Nick Allen: Not a lot of choice with the clowns put forward.
@Adrian: our politicians are little more than figureheads, puppets, yes men. For true reform of our political system, we need to look at the civil servants who pull the strings behind the scenes and have jobs for life regardless of their performance.
@jon-boy55: We are after all a member of the EU so why are you expecting DEMOCRACY?
@jon-boy55: As to your “American Terrorists” comment, I will make an allowance for you, as that infantile comment puts you somewhere between 12 and 18 years of age and so you really are not responsible for what you say.
@Adrian: Wow. So your putting Ireland and Venezuela in the same bracket? Obviously the view of a well educated person, who is in possession and is capable of understanding all the relevant facts.
We definitely do need a better calibre of person in the selection process for our governments, those currently in situe are useless dinosaurs.
Is this supposed to be some new and original thought on the part of the FFG government? Haven’t we had vacant homes since the crash and we gave them to NAMA who sold them off instead of offering homes to people? I seem to remember Apollo House was housing people last Christmas, they got turfed out on a promise that no one would be homed in hotels by July. Apollo House still there empty and people still housed in hotels. After the homeless crisis has gotten even worse, they are going to look for empty properties which are privately owned? And how long will this take? I don’t believe this government cares a toss about homelessness, or long hospital waiting lists either, or any of the other problems that affect the vulnerable in society, only their wealthy cronies.
@Noirin Kavanagh: Councils turned down homes offered by NAMA. I’m not saying NAMA is perfect far from it but have a read.
@Noirin Kavanagh: some of their wealthy cronies (including a close buddy of Enda Kenny) purchased a partially finished ghost estate from Nama 3-4 years ago for the price of 1 house. This ghost estate has not been developed since but you can be damn well sure that it will be finished when the government change their approach & grant fund the likes of these buddies that have the inside information & call the shots .
I’d rather torch my house than let the State take it, of course they do eventually with Inheritance Tax etc etc! We own nothing really! May as well be living in Russia or China etc etc!
@Maire: torch away Maire. An empty property is no use to anyone
@paddlingAlong: It’s still interference with someone’s property rights. If someone owns a property that is currently vacant, that’s their prerogative. What’s next – compulsive purchase orders on family homes once the children have moved out?
With a third of houses currently being offered to homeless families being turned down because they are a few miles too far away from family etc. is it likely that people in Dublin are going to accept a vacant houses in a rural areas down the country? The government has no right to tell people what to do with their private property.
I listened to the most surreal and quite frankly astonishing interview with John O Connor the supposed chief executive of the housing agency, this morning on Morning Ireland. It was shocking, both his clear lack of knowledge on what is being done or indeed what the current situation is. He stuttered on every question asked of him, Audible silence commenced before he got around to answering even the simplest of questions relating to properties purchased from NAMA. I got a sense the interviewer just gave up and went to the break.
It was astonishing stuff and deeply shocking and if this is who we are paying to help sort out this crisis, god help us. Anyone interested in listening back should go to the Morning Ireland Pod cast page. Unbelievable stuff
@Joseph Dempsey: yes thought he was absolutely Clueless, living over shops,,fire officer won’t let that one happen,fair deal stealth stealing the family home,a real vote catcher that one right,empty holiday homes in the country side,nearest shop 5miles school 10 mile post office , 15 miles ,you need to work yourself to the bone to sustain a living in this country.
@Joseph Dempsey: can we penalise the government for not building houses? They know the solution! It’s not hard!!!
If I own more than 1 house & pay all the bills on it then it’s no ones business if I leave it vacant. Why should the tax payer fix the politicians problems again & again & again. Get off your ass & do the job your paid for, There are houses boarded up owned by the council all over every town & village in this country. Open them up isn’t that what you are paid to do. There are enough council staff employed & if the council need more staff then go hire them. There are enough people on the dole that the gov say want jobs & can’t find them. Go do your job, It’s not up to me, volunteers & every tax payer out there to do your job for you. But then the politicians whouldn’t know what work was if it jumped up and bit them on the rear end.
@bings: Well said! The government is great at moving the blame. Blame landlords for high rents yet it’s impossible to get a mortgage, very few private housing being built – no houses available to buy. Blame people for having a second home that is vacant yet thousands of empty council houses. Council refuse NAMA homes – https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/councils-rejected-over-2-000-nama-homes-for-social-housing-1.2924785
@neilo: well said neilo.
@bings: totally agree if I own a second house and decide to leave it empty that’s my decision. I have great tenants who appreciate renting st below market rent so not going to happen. But with some of my tenants you wonder why you bother. It would be less hassle to leave it empty.
@neilo:Your not poor or on the bread line if you can afford tattoo’s, buy the latest iphone, go on holidays, designer clothes. I came from nothing, was working p/t at 14 yrs F/T at 16 yrs. Left school when I was 16 as we needed the money to put food on the table & a roof over our heads. Married at 20 with a morgtage. Still happily married with 2 grown up guys. Went back to college in my 20′ to get an education. Graduated got a good job. Worked hard all my life. Believe me I know what poor is. Councils are to blame for some of the problems. The councils turned down houses from NAMA, have thousands of houses boarded up all over the country. They need open up these houses which are owned by the council If you turn them down because it’s not beside mammy, friends, each child doesn’t have their own room, too small back garden then they can go live where ever they like in my opinion.
Never anyone in power but FF FG …
IF change is the answer , do so at the polls …
@Willy Malone: some people did vote last time out for change what did we get all them independents supporting a F/F backed government to keep it as was . Not forgetting Stephen Donnelly jumping into bed withF/F wtf above all. If he jumped into bed with Leo well he could have used the experience in the government . So where to now. Lol
@Willy Malone: Our choice isn’t great. PBP and AAA think money grows on trees. SF has a lot of historical baggage and need to clean house. Independents – well as John Scott said, they just ended up supporting FG or FF – waste of a vote. Labour and Greens – well they got the blame for everything over the last decade and rightly so. FG and FF – it’s just a coin flip – your turn or ours to get into government.
@Willy Malone: grand. Who will we vote for then?
@Deborah Behan: With that question Deborah , I suggest you deserve all you get …
@Willy Malone: Wally is that you? Did you get banned again?
@Deborah Behan: you don’t vote for anyone who has failed to perform satisfactually in the past.
If you are happy with Fine Gael and Fianna Fail that’s grand. But politics needs a rethink I’m afraid.
Need as voters to work out who exactly we need in terms of good politicians.
The merry go round of failure needs to end. We need to focus on the reality that too many politicians aren’t actually good enough.
It’s actually not worth voting if your options are only FF or FG imo.
For me it’s either a spoiled vote or giving anyone new on ballot paper a chance. Yes they may fail hopelessly but I’ve become accustomed to politicians failing miserably. Nothing to lose is how I see it.
Will this stick approach apply to Vulture Funds who must own the majority of vacant homes in the state?? Will the new law allow the state to use compulsory orders to buy back some of those houses that NAMA gave these funds for a pittance?? Going after the individual old age pensioner seems in tune with this government’s ideology.
Simon Harris has a 3 or 4 bed semi. He is only using 1 room, There fore he has at least 2 spare rooms even 3 as some of the houses in the estate where he lives are 3 & 4 bed. He can take 2 or 3 people in to share his house. He is within walking of Greystones dart approx 10 or 15 min. Ideal for anyone working on a dart route. Bus route from Greystones not sure if its a 45A or 145 but that is easy find out. He is working in Dublin & has an office in Bray he could always give them a lift. I wonder how many more politicians have spare rooms in their homes. They should lead by example.
@bings: Surely the people living in state provided accomadation with spare rooms should be targeted first. Privately owned houses were paid for by the people that own them
@Kal Ipers: They want the senior citizens who are living in residential homes to rent out their homes which are private homes that they have worked & paid for. Let the politicians lead by example & take in some one who is on the waiting list or who is homeless. I bet that there are politicians with holiday homes that they are not living in give those houses out. As I keep saying Lead by example.
@bings: They aren’t the same thing. If somebody is living in a care home and has done the fair deal they owe the state a 3rd of the property then. So no longer 100% privately owned. They also tend to be completely vacant and left idle while the person is in care.
There is no lead by example because nobody is being asked to share their homes with other people while they live there. My point is if they were going to insist on your idea of sharing your house it should be the property paid for by the state.
@Kal Ipers: Are politicians houses not paid for by the state. You & me the tax payer pays tax so they can have crazy wages. Then they use our money to buy their houses. Therefore their homes are state paid for.
Leinster house is empty half the year,farmleigh is empty nearly all year.
a more worrying aspect is the breach of privacy by the central statistics office in providing information on vacant houses. is not information taken in census not for cso use only and not other government agencies. this will help in creating a reluctance to fill out census forms in the future!!!
@Compulsive Gambler: No. In every possible way no. The CSO compile statistics for all government agencies, so they’re able to plan for the future with accurate information. What did you think the point of the census was? A government agency to collect information for no reason?
yes but not to identify individual households. statistical information only. Either way between that and forcing the use of public service cards big brother almost has control of our lives.
More carrot than stick ,these are the people that fund and support FG.
Penalties for people who bought/built/mortgaged/inherited properties and elderly people who through ill health or lack of support are forced out of their homes to live in residential care with endless reports of abuse from none other than the government’s own agencies and now Eoghan Murphy warns of penalties for privately owned property, beyond belief, taxing these people to the point of illegal possession and state racketeering , have these people not already paid second/holiday home taxes or are we now in the era of tax to 100% value of property or the state will take the property in lieu, we are governed by incompetents who are incapable of delivering efficient economic and well managed services to our population, no public housing building programme and no addiction/abuse services to treat individuals in homelessness , this will all blow up in the face of government, but they do not learn, the water charges debacle should have opened eyes but then there are none so blind as those who will not see.
50,000 extra council houses needed in Dublin immediately.
The market cannot be trusted. State intervention is needed.
Simon Coveney needs to be sacked. His dismal failure as Minister for Housing should not have been rewarded by promotion.
This Murphy clown gets 2 years to fix this.
@Colin Morris: Or…. work and get a book on family planning. Have kids once settled and able to and stop relying on the nation to provide for you to sit back and do nothing.
Country is in trouble if there is demand for 50kt social homes in Dublin alone
@Colin Morris: correct 50k families of which only 37% have a job according to the census, the rest are just entitled generation who expects to be housed for free.
Most won’t accept anything other than a house beside their mammy and their local pub. I know some who made themselves homeless deliberately in order to be bumped up the list. I also know some who were offered homes down the country and refused them.
I rather see the workers prioritised for the Dublin houses and not long term unemployed.
@Vic’s Burd: What about those who may be ill/disabled? Not everyone who isn’t working on the housing list is a scrounger.
@Anon Ymous: in my experience: ill/disabled/elderly go on a different list over homeless – they usually require small one or two bed accessible “shelter” units, there’s a higher turnover on these stock so it’s not that big an issue unless they come with children and need bigger accessible accommodation which is rare.
So someone in Wexford who saved all their lives for a holiday cottage in Connemara will be penalised because successive governments hadnt a clue how to run a bath let alone a country.
FFS. I’m bringing the government to court if they try to tax my second home. It’s none of their business what i choose to do with my private asset. We’re going down the route of Venezuela here, that should be ringing alarm bells. They could try allowing much taller apartment blocks in Dublin, that might help. Except the hard left parties on DCC won’t allow that.
@Fred Jensen: Expropriation at it’s most fundamental. The term is usually reserved for corrupt developing countries, it’s now becoming a reality in Ireland. Grim
TDs with several houses wont be happy
@Kevin Slater: that’s one reason why, unfortunately, this is just more kite flying from an ineffective government
A snooping neighbour’s website, twitching from behind the curtains !!…Where do they think we live ??….North Korea…….Middle Ireland wake up
So an elderly person in a nursing home has to deal with the headache of getting their home ready for a new family to move in (not all elderly people have family to help them out) as well as the prospect of leaving that home, which is hard enough for many of them. When my father-in-law went into a nursing home, one of the things we wanted to do once he was settled in was bring him back to his home for a cup of tea etc. (unfortunately he passed away before that could happen). He worked hard all his life for that home, why should he have been forced into handing it over when his health failed him? Second homes should be rented out, but don’t pull the rug out from under the elderly, for God’s sake!
Very easy to attack the elderly in nursing homes who can’t comprehend what is happining to them. It takes a lot more guts to tackle the VULTURE FUNDS & NAMA who have made thousands homeless under their and previous FG / LABOUR government
@Tony Hartigan: Yes, it takes guts which is why they will continue to attack elderly in nursing homes. And also, don’t forget the vested interests – they are essential to FF/FG
What exactly what I choose to do with my property got to do with you minister!
I look forward to challenging you and your department in court for any “penalties” you think you are going to impose on me!
Listening to RTE Radio on Friday with these people who think the state owes them a house in a private area because they have kids with 3 or 4 different men!!!
Are they for real???
Make the “Fathers” of these children responsible for keeping a roof over their heads – not the state!!!
We do not have a homeless crisis, I see very few people sleeping on the streets, you should go to South America, Africa – they have thousands sleeping on the streets, rummaging for food in bins with nothing but a rag of a T-Shirt and flip flops to their name!
Why do these people think that they don’t have to work for a house or that they have the right to live in an area they’re income doesn’t match???
Suppose I end up in a fair deal nursing home where, eventually, sooner or later, I die, but in the meantime my home has been rented out by the government. My will leaves the house to my children. But how do they get possession of said house? What sort of lease would be given to the tenants? Whole idea is dangerously crazy.
This used to be known as collectivisation.
@neilo: government coming along and seizing private property belonging to citizens is the very essence of state collectivisation.
@neilo:
Why should they be forced to do that? It’s their private asset. It would be like if the government came along and told you to make use of your car, or they’ll make you pay an extra tax.
So much for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
People are being penalized for filling in a census form. Open door border means there will always be a homeless crisis no matter how many houses are built or seized.
@GO GREEN: What do you think filling in the census form has to so with this?
@Kal Ipers: where do you think they are getting the data from ?
The whole thing is a con first they repo homes illegal due to lack of repo law/knowledge here took advantage that people had not got the money to fight it. Our media only printed ones that were not real repos. There was thousands of people effected and didn’t any reporting to help.
Now after you work hard for 40 odd years they want to sell your home to probley some vulture fund.
The problem is lack of building property, and government controlling housing stock so a few can make from lack of supply.
If there not enough property how is it one company own hundreds or thousands of properties.
he is warning them, sounds like the long finger to me, also some houses could be in probate, you know us Irish , where there is a will, there is a war.
Why is the government penalising the private sector when it’s the governments responsibility to provide housing ? What if someone has a second home they use as a holiday home ?? Will they be forced to rent it out ??? It’s ridiculous !!!!
The whole thing is a shambles.
So the government takes in more foreigners has no where to put them and expects the Irish people to get them out of this mess
This govt. should take heed to what happened when the last Fianna Fail govt. tried to place means test on medical cards in 2008, thousands of members of the grey vote protesting will make any politicians knees tremble and will be the end of this proposal and possibly the end of this govt. Fianna Fail must be chuckling away quietly.
200e for the dole,120e for each kid approx,money for coal,money for prams and back to school money(140e i think) AND rent allowance.Populist policies like these are creating a generation of bums.
@Dan Murphy: 120 for each kid ??? Are you kidding me? It’s around 30 euro per kid !!! You have all your figures completely wrong !!!! Can you inform yourself before commenting on stuff ???
@Catherine Sims: All figures are approximates as stated and true.I can tell you are outraged by your ridiculous use of punctuation.
@Catherine Sims: Who cares if im wrong about the exact figures,its irrelevant .Vast amounts of money are thrown at people who dont work,is it because you are one of the lazy that you got upset?
Compulsory purchase orders,that is a scary path.
An other FINE GAEL BULLY.
PENALTIES frightening the bejassus out of our elderly again.
Personally I think by the time this law is introduced there will be so many loopholes in it (some of them necessary, some not but intentional) it will be pointless.
So the consensus so far seems to be:
Government compulsorily buying houses in order to deal with housing crisis: Bad.
Government compulsorily seizing money in order to deal with housing crisis: Good.
Got it.
@Deborah Behan: A free voting independent assembly.
What is FIANNA FAIL standing on this issue ?
@Tony Hartigan: Just heard Barry Cowan on the radio and he said he and his party will support the proposal all the way, offer incentives initially but ultimately if people do not engage then penalties should be imposed, shocking attack on private property rights of families and individuals.
This story has subtly altered over the course of the morning. Let’s get back for a moment to people who will be in a nursing home for the rest of their lives, who own an empty house.
They don’t need the house any more. They will never need the house. The only function of the house is to pass it on to their descendants. Is it reasonable that taxpayers should pay the lion’s share of the cost of caring for them in order that the kids can have a free house?
@Ben McArthur: Nursing home places are not free, passing a house to your children is not free.
@eastsmer #IRExit: There’s an inheritance tax threshold of €310K per child, so passing a house to your children could very well be free. We know nursing home places aren’t free, but they are largely taxpayer funded under the Fair Deal scheme.
Do you have an answer to the question?
@Ben McArthur: Yes, build more Council houses.
@eastsmer #IRExit: To be clear, you think the taxpayer should fund council houses and nursing home care, and that vacant houses should be left vacant, so that the kids can inherit a house? Seems to be a popular view, it’s just hard to see any consistency in it.
Jesus where do they come up with these stupid ideas it’s non of the government business what people do with their 2/3 homes they have paid their rip off taxes stamp duty ect is this an answer for the so called homeless and lip service to the press,it’s as bad as idea as that other fool bringing back a Christmas bonus for sitting on your arse
Is this going to result in a flood of houses going on the market now ?? Cheaper houses in need of repair that may be affordable for buyers at last???
@Catherine Sims:
No because most people’s second homes are in Leitrim or Kerry, nowhere near where housing is actually needed.
@Fred Jensen: Yes you are probably right.
So basically they dont want to solve the housing issue but hey lets tax anyone who has a second home, its another revenue stream, Unless the tax is 50% a year of the actual house value they won’t care, if you can afford a second home the tax is easily affordable
No housing crisis in Germany.
German Constitution gives Family Homes special status which does not adversely impact on German general property rights.
Irish need a referendum to update its Constitution re family homes …more important than proposed “blasphemy” referendum.
https://www.change.org/p/referendum-on-family-home-special-status-in-ireland
Most of the comments intentionally or unintentionally ignore that this emergency measure at a time of crisis applies to a second home, a home which is vacant and suitable for use. One home should be enough for most people at a time when there is immense pressure due to an under supplied housing market. Sometimes, there is a greater public interest which should prevail.over individual selfishness. Let homes be used and inhabited.
The proposed measure has no application to persons in hospital, nursing homes or away from their sole residence. It relates to vacant second homes.
@Tony Daly: You missed the part of the article where it mentions the HSE have been asked to investigate how to get houses of people in nursing home in to the market.
The state encouraged the building of holiday homes and you think it makes sense they now charge and extra tax for having one on top of the property tax and stamp duty paid? That is triple taxation on the same thing.
What about all the empty properties the banks are sitting on, what’s being done about that?
Continuing erosion of all property rights for Landlords now Homeowners championed by homeless charities such as Threshold are main drivers for government NO policy.
the dogs on the street know high taxes and time consuming regulations have forced developers and investors out of the markets
It’ll never happen, come out with a new thing every other day…. Word’s that’s all there good at…
have your say