A TWO-tier property market has emerged in Clare over the last five years as demand for properties in urban centres such as Ennis and Shannon far outstripping rural areas.
According to figures produced by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), 22 per cent of the houses in Clare are currently unoccupied – one of the highest of any county in Ireland.
Clare spokesperson for the Respond housing charity, Paul Hargaden, believes that the recession has created a two-tier property sector in Clare.
“The situation is very different depending on where you are. People might not realise this but there is a demand for houses to be built in places like Ennis at the moment,” he said.
“In other areas there are lots of empty houses that nobody wants and it is hard to see that they will ever be a demand for all of these. The majority of these properties are buy-to-lets or holiday homes in rural parts of the county.
“There is a demand for houses which are located close to where the jobs are located. There is need to build new houses in these areas and there is also a need for more social housing and local authority housing in places like Ennis, Shannon and Kilrush. There is basically a two-tiered housing system at work in Clare at the moment.”
A growing number of Clare families are also struggling to pay their mortgage and Respond are calling for a revamped mortgage-to-rent scheme to save Clare people in arrears.
“We are also seeing a lot of people in Clare who need help and support in maintaining their mortgages. It is a growing problem and it needs to be tackled by the banks and the Government,” continued Mr Hargaden.
“There is virtually no successful claims coming through the current scheme and something needs to be done to address that because people are in over their heads.”
The construction industry in the county has been the hardest hit as a result of the recession with a massive 87 per cent drop in the number house completions between 2005 and 2007.