Property Emergency. Use It or Lose It? Episode 637

Ireland is in the midst of a housing emergency — rents and homelessness are rising, while tens of thousands of homes sit empty. According to the 2022 Census, there were over 160,000 properties recorded as vacant across the State — nearly 8 % of all housing stock — including houses and apartments that have been unoccupied for years. Around 48,000 of these homes were vacant in both the 2016 and 2022 censuses, suggesting long-term vacancy rather than short-term gaps between tenancies or renovations.

More recent mapping data from GeoDirectory shows roughly 80,000 residential homes vacant nationwide — even though the overall vacancy rate has fallen to around 3.7 %.

With so many homes unused, some campaigners suggest introducing “Use It or Lose It” laws — similar to measures in the UK — that would allow the State to take over privately owned properties that remain vacant for a defined period and bring them into the social housing stock.

Proponents argue this could:

Turn under-utilised housing into homes for people in need, helping reduce homelessness and ease rental pressures;

Encourage owners to renovate or sell empty properties, increasing supply quickly without costly new builds.

Critics counter that:

Many “vacant” homes are empty temporarily — between tenancies, under renovation, or awaiting sale — and are not genuine long-term vacancies;

Compulsory takeover could be seen as an overreach of state power and unfair to property owners who may have legitimate reasons for vacancy.

Enforcement and valuation issues could create legal and financial complications.

Should Ireland introduce “Use It Or Lose It” laws for vacant homes — or would this trample on property rights without solving the root of the housing crisis?