Should I get my house tested for radon?
Q A friend in the next townland (about three miles away) had her house tested for radon and she suggested that I do the same as the radon levels turned out to be high. Does it follow that mine would be high too and should I bother getting the house tested? I hadn't even heard of radon before all this.
A It doesn’t automatically follow you have radon in your house but it’s a wise – and not expensive – test to carry out in any home. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that seeps from the ground. It is harmless but it can become trapped under buildings, concentrating there and exposing residents to significant radiation levels. It is estimated that 200 lung cancer deaths here every year are caused by radon. Last year it was found that a house in Sligo had such high levels that the people living there were receiving radiation exposure equivalent to nine X-rays every day. A house in Kerry was found to have the highest radon level of any house in Europe.
In Ireland we have more radon than our neighbours. With figures like these it’s a wonder there isn’t a major Government information campaign to encourage people to test their houses and, if radon is present, take the simple measures to disperse it.
You won’t know you have radon unless you test and the test is simple and, at €56, one of the least expensive, potentially life-saving, tests a homeowner can do. It’s carried out by you with materials supplied and then tested by the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland. This has an excellent website (rpii.ie or 1800 300 600) showing radon hotspots around the country and tips on how to reduce levels.
I live in the US so must I pay second home tax?
Q I live in the USA but do not own any property there. I am not tax resident in Ireland and hold dual US and Irish citizenship. I do, however, own a property in Ireland which I use for holidays. Am I liable for residential property tax on this property?
A The confusion about this levy continues although the information provided on the NPPR website, nppr.ie, is clear on this matter.
The €200 annual levy applies to all residential property not used as the owner’s sole or main residence. Essentially, a non-principal private residence is any dwelling which is not used by its owner as his or her sole or main residence.
There is a list of the main types of residential properties that are liable for the charge, and it includes holiday homes. The levy goes to the local authority where your holiday home is. As you live in the US, you know that this property tax is tiny by comparison with what your fellow Americans pay. For example, if you had a home in Nassau County you’d pay a median of $8,153 (€6,161) – or 8 per cent of your yearly income – to live there. You may feel that you can ignore the levy as you don’t actually live here but you could be caught for unpaid taxes if and when you sell the house.
Your questions
Send your queries to Property questions, The Irish Times, The Irish Times Building, 24-28 Tara Street, Dublin 2 or e-mail propertyquestions@irishtimes.com. This column is a readers’ service and is not intended to replace professional advice.
