The Housing Agency Housing Insight Series aims to disseminate good practice in housing and innovative solutions among housing practitioners in Ireland. The papers provide a case study of effective, practical implementation of a piece of housing policy or practice. The resulting short paper is intended to provide a knowledge base and provide ideas to others in the sector, building the overall capacity of the sector. The Housing Agency sources case-studies from our staff, The Housing Agency panels, housing practitioners and stakeholders. This third issue of the Housing Insights Series was published in November 2023 on the topic of Reducing turnaround times of empty homes by taking a strategic approach to asset management in Fingal County Council.
This Housing Agency Policy Insights Series paper describes the changes introduced by Fingal County Council to successfully reduce turnaround and re-letting times of void properties. It demonstrates the benefits that can be gained through a strategic asset management approach to social housing stock, which utilises stock condition surveys and planned maintenance programmes. With work currently underway by the Housing Delivery Coordination Office within the LGMA to develop a national housing stock management survey and an ICT Asset Management System, the aim of this case study is to provide information to other Local Authorities / Approved Housing Bodies on the benefits of shifting to a more strategic asset management programme.
Looking to the future, Aoife Lawler (Senior Executive Officer, Housing Department) of Fingal County Council says she would “like to see local authorities having to apply the same standards to their housing in the area of maintenance and repairs that have been required of approved housing bodies, while at the same time ensuring there is adequate funding set aside for this work.”
You can access and read the full report here - Policy Insights Paper Issue 3