Over 700 vacant domestic properties recorded in Derry

There 724 empty homes in total at the end of 2021/22.

This was down from 787 in 2021/22 and 763 in 2020/21 but up from 699 in 2017/18 and 710 in 2018/19. Property owners are not requried to advise the department if homes are vacant or not.

He said: “Since the introduction of the Rating of Empty Homes legislation on October 1, 2011, the rate liability for vacant domestic properties has been assessed at 100 per cent. There is currently no requirement for ratepayers to inform Land & Property Services (LPS) that their property is vacant, nor is there any financial advantage in doing so.

“As a result, the information in the rating system on the number of empty domestic properties may not be current or complete.”