‘Sweaty equity’ earns family keys to their new Dublin home

After four months of renovation work, Daryl Mahon has been handed the keys to his new three-bedroom home in Dublin city.

The social worker helped refurbish the property off the North Circular Road with NGO Habitat for Humanity and a group of volunteers. Having put in the “sweat equity”, Mr Mahon will now pay a reduced mortgage on the house where he will live with his two children

Habitat for Humanity renovates derelict houses owned by Dublin City Council for families on the social housing list. Where the council tends to carry out refurbishment work on groups of houses, the charity targets one-off derelict properties that would normally get passed over.

The charity’s executive director Vinnie Cunningham said the property at Williams Place Upper was in a very bad condition a few months ago. It was little more than a shell, he said. “It was full of rubbish and bins, the place had been gutted.”

Mr Cunningham estimates Dublin City Council possesses hundreds of houses which would be suitable for refurbishment. He said derelict properties tend to attract anti-social behaviour fixing them up helps a family by taking them off the housing list, but also benefits the surrounding community.

By the end of 2015, the charity hopes to be refurbishing about eight houses a year. The Lord Mayor of Dublin Christy Burke is behind the programme. "I think it's a project that needs political support," he said. "I certainly will be putting my foot on the pedal and hope that we can increase the numbers that we're doing at the moment."

He added: “I think that Dublin City Council should be coordinating and cooperating with habitat and I hope that we can provide many more units that they can take over and hand over to families.”

Mr Mahon, meanwhile, is pleased to finally have the house to himself. “I am happy and I’m relieved,” he said. “The stress of the last few months is starting to dissipate and wind down at the moment so I’m happy.”