There are renewed calls for empty buildings to be used to tackle the housing crisis.
This year's census found there were almost 167,000 vacant dwellings in the State, down 9% on 2016.
The Hardware Association Ireland is calling for first-time buyer supports, such as Help to Buy, to be extended to empty houses.
Architect and founding partner of Douglas Wallace Consultants, Hugh Wallace, says different construction and renovation rules should apply to derelict properties:
"I think we have a set of building regulations which were formed, designed around new builds and they're trying to be shoehorned into existing buildings and in particular that has to do with regulations in relation to fire are not suitable for our existing stock of 160,000 houses and there needs to be derogations and changes made to those regulations."
