Severe shortage of 4-bed houses for those on the waiting list in Tipperary

Cllr Sean Ryan said the lack of 4-bed houses for people on the housing waiting list is a concern.
When larger families come to him, his “heart always sinks” because “it’s so hard to get a four-bedroomed house, or more.”

“We’re not building them in the developments we’re building,” said Cllr Ryan. “We have to think of other ways to procure those houses.

“There are families that need four bed houses - I know one family that has ten in the family. They need a bigger house.”

Cllr Ryan said that coupled with the lack of housing, there are a lot of HAP properties being put up for sale, meaning that a lot of the tenants in those properties are “suddenly coming on to the housing waiting list, and are presenting notices to quit”.

Councillors are inundated now with tenants looking for emergency accommodation after landlords put their properties up for sale

Cllr Roger Kennedy said some €4m had been borrowed to bring about 80 houses back into use. “How many are there with work ongoing?”

Cllr Eddie Moran said there are about 35 to 40 houses in one street in Templemore alone where there are fires only, and no other facility for heating those homes. “These houses are nearly fit to be knocked down. A few of them are in a very, very bad state.” There are about 60 to 70 people on the housing waiting list in Templemore alone, and “where are we going to get houses for these people” when new laws come in governing fires, asked Cllr Moran.

Director of Services Sinead Carr said that there’s a new apprenticeship program with the construction industry regarding building new homes. “We’re doing as much as we can. The only thing that will address this housing crisis is more units. In particular, it’s when the private sector gets up and gets functioning again.”

When Councils were given the task of rebuilding social housing, there was “a huge level of concern that Councils wouldn't be able for it.”
“But we have demonstrated that not only are we able for it, we have more than achieved in that area,” said Ms Carr.