Council houses in New Ross left in ‘shocking state’ by tenants — ‘if these were privately rented you wouldn’t get away with that’

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

New Ross council houses less than a couple of years old are being left in “a shocking state” by tenants with flooring “falling apart” and kitchens and bathrooms “wrecked”.

Raising the issue at the July meeting of the New Ross Municipal District (NRMD) Councillor Bridín Murphy asked whether enough inspections were being carried out in properties once they were allocated to tenants.

“We’re spending huge amounts of money building new houses and I’ve come across some recently where the conditions inside are shocking; flooring falling apart and kitchens and bathrooms in a very bad state,” she said.

“What is our inspection process? Do we routinely inspect houses or are we only doing it when we get a complaint? Do we have enough staff and resources to keep our existing housing up to standard? Most of the houses I saw were relatively new and, I have to say, the conditions after a couple of years were shocking.”

Admitting that it’s currently “not possible” for Wexford County Council (WCC) to carry out routine inspections on all its stock, housing officer Martina Donoghue said staff tended to respond to requests regarding maintenance issues.

26/06/2026. Pictured is Cllr. Bridín Murphy elected Leas Cathaoirleach Wexford County Council. Photograph Patrick Browne

“We don’t have a schedule of inspections, our housing liaison officers would have over a thousand houses each on their books, so it’s just not possible to carry out routine inspections,” she said. “If any houses come to your attention where you’re concerned about the condition, please let us know.”

Noting that those in the private market are held to a higher level of accountability, Cllr Murphy asked that her concerns be brought to the council’s senior officials.

“If this was private rented your landlord would be subjecting you to routine inspections, you would have to keep the house to a certain standard,” she said. “If we’re not in a position to carry out inspections then this needs to be raised (with the executive). Some of these houses are absolutely wrecked. If these were privately rented you wouldn’t get away with that.”