Nearly 100 Cork City Council homes have sat empty for over two years.

Councillors express outrage about the 100 vacant Cork City Council properties which have remained unoccupied for more than two years while they label this situation as “disgraceful” and “a scourge.” The city has 342 vacant council homes distributed among five districts: South West has 16 properties while South East has 39 and South Central has 46 and North East has 92 and North West has 149. The vacancy count included 97 properties that remained unoccupied between 12-24 months while 99 properties exceeded this timeframe. The number of vacant properties decreased by 34% between January 2023 and January 2024 but showed a minimal 3% decrease from January 2024 until March 2025.

The Echo received information from a council representative that the 3.17% vacancy rate among 10,800 homes remains within acceptable limits. The representative explained that the council focuses on swift solutions to boost returns but larger projects such as fire-damaged units require additional time before completion. The representative announced plans to address north-west derelict properties during 2025. Sinn Féin councillor Michelle Gould from North West expressed her anger about the situation by pointing out that the northside contains 241 boarded-up homes while the southside has only 101. The substantial difference between these numbers demonstrates clear social injustice. The Workers’ Party councillor Ted Tynan from North East described the situation as “disgraceful” while showing his frustration about the extended closure of Mayfield homes that required expensive steel barriers. The Echo calculated that the city spent €851,821 on shutter installation from 2020 through October 2024. Labour’s Peter Horgan, South East, labelled vacancy as “community blight” and demanded either a government task force or permission for tenants to repair homes. He emphasized that any day of vacancy during this homeless crisis is unacceptable.

The Social Democrats’ Niamh O’Connor from South Central observed positive developments yet she believed they did not reach sufficient levels. She emphasized that the council must defend its long-term vacancies because children continue to live in hotel rooms and share bedrooms. The council demonstrates its priorities yet the current housing crisis triggers widespread criticism about their speed and extent of action.