THE Housing Executive has defended its record on derelict properties after figures suggested that only seven out of 174 were reclaimed in west Belfast over the last five years.
Aontú representative Peter Irvine said that Freedom of Information figures he obtained showed that 174 social homes in west Belfast were earmarked as abandoned or non-occupied in the last five years, with only seven brought back into use.
While the Housing Executive can reclaim abandoned properties in some cases, this is not always legally possible – for example if a bank or the family of a deceased resident still own the property.
Mr Irvine commented: “With over 45,000 households on the social housing waiting list across the north, including thousands in west Belfast, families are left struggling for homes.
“At the same time, viable properties sit empty due to bureaucratic delays.
“Families in west Belfast are in desperate need of housing. We need immediate reforms to ensure that abandoned properties are swiftly allocated to those who need them most.”
He is now calling for a fast-track system to bring vacant properties back into use to ensure families on waiting lists are prioritised.
A Housing Executive spokesperson said: “These figures prove we proactively monitor occupancy of our homes.
“With local teams on site on a regular basis, we routinely inspect and manage our homes, so we are very much aware of our tenants in occupancy.
“There are occasions that we are made aware that a Housing Executive property may be unoccupied, and we will investigate these cases.
“Our current overall occupancy rate is 99.67%.
“On only seven occasions in the past five years have we deemed it necessary to recover a property in west Belfast due to abandonment or fraud.
“We will always manage our homes to ensure the optimum amount of them are available to let for those who are on the waiting list for social housing.”
Last month, it was reported that the Clanmil and Apex housing associations were partnering to build 122 new homes for social housing in west Belfast by 2026.
Carol McTaggart, group chief executive of Clanmil Housing, said it was a welcome step with 48,000 people currently waiting for a social home in Northern Ireland – including 4,432 in west Belfast.