Sligo, Leitrim and Dongal county councils are among the more than half of local authorities throughout the country that are not using their compulsory purchase powers to buy derelict or vacant houses.
New figures show just 240 attempts have been made nationally in the past seven years to take ownership of vacant houses by using CPOs.
Fianna Fail Housing spokesman Darragh O’Brien says this makes no sense in the midst of a housing crisis.
During a visit to Sligo last weekend, Junior Minister for Housing Damien English told Ocean FM News that private properties cannot just be grabbed and taken over.
But he also pointed out that local authorities do have CPO powers which, he said, they should use if necessary.
