Breakdown of Mayo’s vacant property figures town by town
According to the most recent CSO report, there were 4,435 vacant homes in Mayo in 2023, down from 4,680 in 2022.
Mayo recorded the fourth-highest number of vacant properties in the country, and the third-highest vacancy rate at 6.4pc.
Within the county, Castlebar had the highest number of vacant homes at 823, with a vacancy rate of 5.7pc.
Ballina followed closely with 808 vacant homes and a 5.9pc rate. Belmullet had the highest vacancy rate in the county at 9.3pc, with a total of 738 vacant homes.
Westport recorded the lowest figures, with 500 vacant homes and a 4.9pc rate.
Elsewhere, Claremorris reported 723 vacant homes, with a rate of 5.7pc, and Swinford had 717 homes, with a vacancy rate of 7.7pc.
Across the country, Cork, Dublin and Donegal had the highest numbers of vacant properties, while Leitrim and Roscommon had the highest vacancy rates at 8.5pc and 6.5pc respectively.
In response to high vacancy rates across Ireland, several initiatives have been introduced to encourage the reuse of vacant properties.
The Vacant Homes Refurbishment Grant aims to bring vacant or derelict homes back into use.
Through the scheme, applicants can receive up to €50,000 for the refurbishment of their property, or up to €70,000 if the property is derelict.
At the September meeting of Mayo County Council, it was reported that there are currently long delays in processing applications under the scheme.
In some cases, applicants are waiting up to eight months to receive payments.
The Director of Services for Housing, Tom Gilligan, highlighted that Mayo has the third-highest number of applications and the fourth-highest approval rate in the country.
Over 900 applications have been received, and as of the end of August, 147 have been paid out.
Mr Gilligan expressed regret that residents in Mayo were facing long waits, but said the council was a "victim of its own success" due to the high number of applications.
He explained that the high uptake levels of the scheme in Mayo had placed significant pressure on resources, leading to the current delays.
However, this explanation did not sit well with councillors, who called for greater transparency regarding the long waiting times and proposed issuing a press release to inform applicants about the delays.
This proposal was rejected by Mr Gilligan.
Under the scheme, applicants submit an application with supporting documents to their local authority, which reviews the paperwork and inspects the property for eligibility.
If approved, the applicant receives confirmation and has 13 months to complete the refurbishment.
Contractor details and invoices must then be provided, after which the authority carries out a final inspection.
Once the work and costs are verified, the applicant signs a charge document, which gives the council security over the property, and the grant is released.
The backlog was attributed to issues on the inspection side of the scheme rather than administrative processing.
The council's Chief Executive, Kevin Kelly, informed the meeting that an extra staff member would be added in the coming weeks to help deal with the backlog.
With over 4,400 homes vacant in Mayo, schemes like the Vacant Homes Refurbishment Grant remain essential to addressing the county's housing challenges.
It is hoped that the backlog will be reduced with the addition of an extra staff member.
The number of vacant properties in Mayo fell by 245 homes between 2022 and 2023, showing progress, and it is hoped that this trend will continue.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.