Mayo has highest rate of dereliction in Ireland with over 2,700 properties listed
County Mayo continues to face a significant dereliction challenge as the county recorded the highest rate of derelict properties in Ireland, according to the latest GeoDirectory and EY Economic Advisory report.
The report found that approximately 2,740 addresses in Mayo are classified as derelict.
This accounts for 14.1pc of the national total of 19,438 properties recorded at the end of Q4 2025.
While the county remains at the top of the list, the latest figures suggest some improvement.
The number of derelict properties has fallen from approximately 2,812 in Q4 2024, representing a decrease of 2.5pc.
However, this reduction is slightly behind the national trend, where dereliction levels fell by 3.3pc over the same 12-month period.
Dereliction remains an ongoing issue in Mayo and continues to be a regular topic discussed at the local authority level.
At last month’s meeting of Mayo County Council, councillors passed a motion calling on the Chief Executive to establish a specialist multidisciplinary dereliction team to tackle the issue.
It was noted that dereliction is currently dealt with across several council departments, with councillors arguing that a more targeted and direct approach is needed to address the scale of the problem facing the county.
However, at the time, the Chief Executive warned the proposal could not be delivered without additional funding, which he said would require increases to the Local Property Tax and commercial rates.
The Geodirectory report also highlighted how dereliction remains particularly concentrated in the west and north-west.
Donegal recorded the second-highest share of derelict properties nationally at 11.5pc, followed by Galway at 8.8pc.
Overall, Connacht accounts for 38.2pc of the national total of derelict properties, making it the most affected region.
The report also examined vacancy rates, with Mayo again ranking among the highest in Ireland.
Vacancy levels across the county remain well above the national average, despite some progress over the past year.
Of the 79,703 dwellings recorded as vacant nationwide in Q4 2025, more than one in 10 were located in Mayo, approximately 8,209 homes.
For comparison, the national average was recorded at 3.7pc.
Mayo recorded the second-highest vacancy rate in the country, behind Leitrim, which reported a rate of 11.7pc.
However, the latest figures do show improvement locally. In Q4 2024, Mayo accounted for 10.6pc of the 80,689 vacant dwellings nationwide, equivalent to 8,553 homes.
The reduction of around 4pc suggests some success in bringing empty homes back into use, particularly when compared with the national vacancy rate, which fell by just 0.1pc over the same period.
Part of this progress may be linked to the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant under the Croí Cónaithe scheme.
As of January 2026, 797 applications had been approved, with 206 grants paid out.
Despite this progress, Mayo still sits above both national and regional averages, with Connacht recording the highest regional vacancy rate at 9.1pc.
Holiday home ownership also continues to impact overall housing availability.
Mayo recorded a holiday home rate of 4.2pc, leaving the county with an overall occupancy rate of 85.5pc, the third lowest in the country.
Donegal recorded the lowest occupancy rate at 80.3pc, while Dublin recorded the highest at 98.7pc.
Mayo continues to face significant challenges with dereliction and vacancy numbers.
While recent figures show some improvement, with slight reductions in both derelict and vacant properties, Mayo remains well above the national average, according to the report.
Beyond dereliction and vacancy rates, the GeoDirectory report also examined construction activity and housing supply trends.
Between December 2024 and December 2025, 524 new addresses were added in Mayo, representing 1.5pc of the 35,056 new addresses added to the GeoDirectory database nationwide.
Housing delivery figures show 16,412 housing commencements nationally in the 12 months to December 2025, of which Mayo accounted for 347.
Nationally, housing completions totalled 32,991 units between Q3 2024 and Q3 2025.
Meanwhile, Mayo accounted for 2pc of national construction activity at the end of 2025, with 572 of the State’s 27,931 buildings under construction located in the county.
The report also examined property prices and found the average property price in Mayo to be €245,034.
A total of 1,017 transactions were recorded over the 12 months, of which 6.3pc were for new dwellings.
The report also points to steady but modest construction activity in Mayo, with the county accounting for a small share of new housing delivery nationally.
Property prices also remain below the national average, leaving Mayo relatively affordable compared with much of the country.
GeoDirectory compiled its data using information from the An Post network of more than 5,600 staff, and worked in partnership with Tailte Éireann. There are over 2 million residential buildings within GeoDirectory’s records.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.