Cork faced a housing crisis in 2024 with over 121000 applications for only 550 available social homes.
Ballincollig had the most social housing, with over 17,600 bids for 81 homes. Douglas and Blackrock were next, with a combined 68 homes and 18,335 bids.
In 2024, Cork city had 93 three-bed homes, receiving about 42,500 applications, meaning 457 bids per home. Only 21 one-bed homes were available last year, attracting over 11,300 bids in total.
The Choice Based Letting (CBL) website handles all applications. People on waiting lists express interest in homes and can accept or refuse offers. Each family can apply to every available property each week, but they can bid only once per home.
Refusing offers without a good reason leads to consequences. People get suspended from the list for a year, and they lose rent supplement benefits during this time.
These numbers came from a Freedom of Information request. Gould said it showed Cork’s “shocking” housing situation and that it would take over 30 years to clear the list, with over 200 families bidding on each house last year.
People imagine their future in these homes, with many bidding at midnight on Wednesdays. They live in cramped or emergency housing and parents hope for a permanent, secure home.
Gould stated that the Cork City Council “perform well”, yet targets are low. They need more government support, as the supply is lacking and construction gets delayed. “Radical” policy change is needed to fix the crisis.
Around 3.6% of Cork homes, or about 9,000 homes, sat vacant, according to analysis by GeoDirectory. They studied 2.17 million Irish homes in 2024. Almost 1,300 in Cork were derelict, contributing to 20,092 derelict Irish properties overall.