WATCH Abandoned Laois home in Portlaoise finally set to be declared derelict

A Portlaoise house that was in pristine condition in 2009 but has since become an eyesore in a local housing estate is set to be declared officially derelict by Laois County Council after a bank did not carry out works deemed necessary by the local authority to address problems.

The dormer bungalow at 39 Broomville is tucked away in the corner in the Broomville estate which is accessed off the Dublin Road.

The Leinster Express / Laois Live highlighted the home in May 2023 with pictures taken at the time showing the property to be fenced off with windows boarded up with rusted steel shuttering. Images sourced from Google at the time revealed that the home was in near-perfect condition in 2009 and appeared to be occupied.

Video footage of the Portlaoise home in January 2026 revealed that the state of the home had deteriorated. The only non-boarded up window was smashed, and the security fencing had fallen over. The roof is damaged, and the surrounds of the home have become overgrown.

The only noticeable change is the placement of several Laois County Council enforcement notices at the entrance to the property.

Denise Rainey is the Council's Town Regeneration Officer. She issued a statement in response to queries from the Leinster Express about the property's status and how the local authority is responding to tackle the blight on the estate.

"This property is currently not on the derelict site register. The process to put it on the register was commenced in August 2025 with the service of the initial notice on the receiver of the property. In response to the notice, the agent appointed by the Bank committed to carry out improvement works to the property to render it not derelict and was given a period of time to carry out same," she said.

Ms Rainey outlined the next steps.

"As these works were not carried out, Laois County Council are now proceeding to the next stage, which will be to enter the property on the derelict sites register," she said.

The Regeneration Officer did not comment on the possibility that the house would be taken into public ownership.

The site is located close to another home in Broomville that the council has declared derelict and is moving to purchase via a Compulsory Purchase Order.

READ ALSO: Shocking state of dereliction in Broomville WATCH

A “derelict site” means any land which detracts, or is likely to detract, to a material degree from the amenity, character or appearance of land in the neighbourhood of the land in question because of:

• The existence on the land in question of structures which are in a ruinous, derelict or dangerous condition, or
• The neglected, unsightly or objectionable condition of land or any structures on the land in question, or
• The presence, deposit or collection on the land in question of any litter, rubbish, debris or waste, except where the presence, deposit or collection of such litter, rubbish, debris or waste results from the exercise of a right conferred by statute or common law.

The Derelict Sites Act 1990 provides provides for an annual levy on certain derelict sites in urban areas.