Housing

Unoccupied house and buyer ‘matchmaking’ service piloted in Mayo

Council and local start-up Homebuyer’s Hero have won state funding for scheme to facilitate sale of vacant homes, which could be rolled out nationwide

Barry O’Leary, chief executive, Housing Finance Agency, hopes a new pilot scheme will facilitate the sale of 30 to 50 vacant homes in Mayo. Picture: Fergal Phillips

Mayo County Council and Homebuyer’s Hero will launch a “matchmaking” service in the new year to help prospective homeowners to acquire vacant properties.

Data compiled by the local authority has shown that there are almost 9,000 vacant homes in the county. The pilot project has been targeted to facilitate the sale of up to 50 homes to buyers in 2023, with scope to expand the project nationwide in 2024.

The scheme has secured funding from ...