KERRY COUNTY council is to use its powers under the derelict sites Act to ensure that houses bought during the Celtic Tiger era which are now lying empty do not fall into disrepair.
A levy of 3 per cent of the market value of the house can be imposed annually if the houses are not properly maintained, according to a council report.
However the many unfinished houses and abandoned construction sites, some in major tourist spots, will be more difficult to deal with, officials have admitted. Hundreds of houses lie empty in Co Kerry and there are many estates where houses were bought, sometimes in multiples, for rental investment and these were now being vacated, councillors have reported.
South Kerry Independent Alliance councillor Michael Gleeson formally requested the council “to compel house and building owners to maintain the exterior of their premises”. Entire estates were in danger of looking unkempt, with houses unpainted and grass not cut, and permanent residents were greatly upset by this, he said. “The number of unoccupied houses in our towns and villages is going to increase dramatically. It is vital that we maintain these houses in the interests of people nearby,” Cllr Gleeson said.
The council’s director of housing services, John Breen, has told the councillor the Derelict Sites Act, 1990 empowered local authorities to deal with run-down properties, and was not confined to older properties.
“In accordance with the Act, if a property detracts to a material degree from the neighbouring properties it may be considered derelict.” If the property was placed on the derelict sites register and was in a town or village, a levy of 3 per cent of the market value per annum can be imposed on the owners.
Councils could also purchase the site, under compulsory purchase order, but this was a costly option, Mr Breen said.
There was generally a high level of co-operation from property owners, he said, although there had been an increase on the number of sites on the derelict sites register last year.