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THE NATIONAL VACANCY rate for dwellings was 4.3% in the last three months of 2021, according to newly released CSO data based on metered electricity consumption.
In Dublin, 2.3% of dwellings in Quarter 4 of 2021 were vacant, compared with 5.1% in the rest of Ireland.
Swinford in Mayo was the Local Electoral Area (LEA) with the highest percentage of vacant dwellings in Q4 2021 (12.2%), while the lowest was in Leixlip, Kildare and Tallaght Central, Dublin (both 0.7%).
Leitrim was the Local Authority with the highest vacancy rate at 10.6% in Q4 2021, followed by Roscommon (9.5%) and Mayo (8.7%). The lowest vacancy rates were in South Dublin (1.4%), Fingal (1.9%) and Kildare (1.9%).
Nationally, vacancy rates have fallen from 4.9% at the start of the series in Q1 of 2016 to 4.3% in Q4 2021. In Dublin, there has been a small rise from 1.9% to 2.3% over this time.
Quarterly electricity consumption per Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN), expressed in kilowatt hours (kWh), was supplied by ESB Networks to the CSO.
The report defined a dwelling as vacant if it has very little or no electricity consumption over four consecutive quarters (a period of 12 months).
This definition identifies vacancy over a period of time and is different from definitions of vacancy which are based on ‘point in time’, for example Census 2022 or LPT analysis published by Revenue.
Justin Anderson, a statistician with the Central Statistics Office told RTÉ’s News at One:
“It’s based on an average of two kilowatt hours per day, which is about the usage of a fridge. So the idea is that anyone using less than a fridge isn’t really occupying a dwelling.”
“If someone stays in a holiday home for a whole month in July, that is recorded and not counted as vacant,” he said.
The vacancy rate for rural areas (7.5%) was more than double the rate in urban areas (2.9%) in Q4 2021.
The vacancy rate for apartments was 3.7% in Q4 2021, 3.2% for detached houses, 2.9% for terraced houses, and 1.8% for semi-detached houses.
Analysis of building types was only available for dwellings with a Building Energy Rating (BER) and while close to one in five (19.2%) vacant dwellings in Q4 2021 with BER assessments were constructed prior to 1919.
More than four in ten (41.7%) vacant dwellings in Q4 2021 were built prior to 1960.
Social Democrats Housing Spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan said that today’s findings showed a wasteful use of property during a housing crisis.
“A vacancy rate of 4.3% represents tens of thousands of homes lying empty while 11,632 people are living in emergency homeless accommodation.
“The figures released today provide a conservative estimate of the levels of vacancy. The CSO only counted vacant homes that have an active ESB connection, which many empty properties don’t have.
“The Government’s new Vacant Homes Tax is far too weak to act as a real disincentive to speculators sitting on empty homes. At just 0.3% of the value of the property, this captures only a small fraction of rising house price,” he said.
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Fully completed early 2020?? Another year of it. Soul destroying every day
@Brian Dunne: The main work on the M7 is due to finish in 4 weeks. The rest if the work is mainly around the Sallins bypass and the new junction 10 exits
These boys would have it knocked out and be home within the first night…. https://youtu.be/KrPgXYrNGG4
@⚡ Seánie ⚡: except the video says it took them 21 days, and the chaos caused by trying to get 200 excavators up the N7?
Surely an early April Fools joke? 25km/h is a ridiculously slow speed
@Stingray Jones: it is to do with worker safety.
@Stingray Jones: advisory only… Not enforced… Limit is still 60 km/h
@Finbarr Barry: from the article ‘speed limit in force of 25km/hr’. Key words being limit and force, but hey, it’s your speeding ticket
@Vocal Outrage: Gardai said in yesterdays article it’s not enforceable but is advisory.
@Ian Breathnach: about 2 years ago there were roadworks near where I lived, 50km/hr limit during works, temporarily dropped under an advisory limit to 25km/hr for 2 weekends, I got the ticket doing 40km/hr. Strangely enough the judge didn’t agree with your logic of it being un-enforceable, although, he didn’t increase the fine or points
@Vocal Outrage: doubt you went to court as there must be a bye law to prosecute… Advisable speed limits do not have bye laws enacted
@Finbarr Barry: if not enforceable you could still be done for dangerous driving
@Finbarr Barry: ah, so you counter-argument is to simply call me a liar, very mature. Perhaps, just perhaps, you don’t understand the law as well as you think?
Ah here
@kokonutter: i agree
Are some speed freaks (being polite) here seriously suggesting they want to barrel through busy roadworks ?
25 km/h is an advisory… The speed limit is still 60 km/h
@Finbarr Barry: are you sure though? the traffic is getting diverted off onto sliproads &even on motorways sliproads have 50km /h speed limits.so 25 on a sliproad with roadworks going on sounds about right
@Dean Anderson: The Minister for Transport issued a direction to road authorities under section 95(16) of the Road Traffic Act 1961 in February 2007 with respect to a range of non-regulatory traffic signs. Chapter 8 of the Traffic Signs Manual was superseded by an updated version which allowed for the erection of signage stating a cautionary speed limit in the vicinity of Road Works. These speed limits are purposely different from legal speed limits and always display a speed limit that ends in 5, for example 35 km/h (22 mph), 45 km/h (28 mph), etc. They are not legally binding on drivers but it is likely that in the event of a road traffic accident that the issue of if they were being complied with, would be taken into account.
@Finbarr Barry: again, use of the word limit, it would be termed something like maximum advisory speed, but a limit is just that, a limit
No diversion in place this morning at 4am when I travelled that stretch. Sailed through it.
have your say