Fingal County Council has continued its commitment to minimise empty housing in the region with the introduction of a dedicated Vacant Housing Unit.

A Vacant Homes Officer has also been established to help manage the work.

The council currently has around 5,500 properties in its stock, an increase of 60 percent over the last 10 years.

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Director of Housing Margaret Geraghty outlined the local authority's process in dealing with vacant housing.

She said: "It is seldom the case that a property is vacant simply because somebody has decided not to live there. There are a range of reasons why a property might not be in use, so we try to open direct engagement with the property owner, the receiver, the bank or whoever it happens to be, to get the houses back into use."

Mrs Geraghty also urged members of the public to contact Fingal County Council via www.fingal.ie or [email protected] if they are made aware of vacant homes in the area.

(CM/JG)