The short version

Homes typically become vacant first (nobody living there), then become derelict when time + exposure + unresolved barriers allow the building to fall into a ruinous or dangerous condition.

1) Ownership and legal “stuckness”

• Probate delays after the owner dies can leave a property in limbo for years.
• Multiple heirs, family disputes, or absent owners (including emigration) can block a decision to sell, rent, or repair.
• Identifying the true owner can be difficult where title/registration is incomplete or unclear.

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What happens when there's no next of kin? Under Section 73 of the Succession Act 1965, where a person dies intestate (without a will) and no entitled relatives can be found, the State takes the estate as "ultimate intestate successor" — this replaced the older rules of escheat and bona vacantia. The assets vest in the Minister for Finance, and such estates are dealt with by the State Property Division of the Chief State Solicitor's Office. The Minister can choose to waive the State's right in favour of someone else — for example a person the deceased clearly intended to benefit, or a charity. In practice, a home with no traceable heirs can sit empty for a long time while ownership is resolved, which is one of the routes into long-term vacancy and eventual dereliction.

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2) Economics: renovation cost, finance, and risk

• Repair costs can exceed the market value, especially for badly deteriorated buildings or in weaker markets.
• It can be hard to secure finance for properties that are not mortgageable until major works are completed.
• Cost uncertainty (hidden defects, structural issues, compliance and fire safety upgrades) leads to deferral.

3) Planning, regulation, and delivery constraints

• Planning uncertainty, repeated permissions that don’t commence, and feasibility issues can stall reuse.
• Older buildings can require specialist work; protected structures / conservation constraints can increase complexity, time, and cost.

4) Use-pattern drivers (vacant but not necessarily derelict)

• Rental turnover, upgrades, and landlord exit/entry can create medium-term vacancy.
• Properties may sit empty while renovations are planned, funded, or paused.
• Second homes and seasonal use can increase long periods of non-occupation in some areas.

5) Weak incentives and slow enforcement (why vacancy becomes dereliction)

• Dereliction enforcement is often a slow, last-resort process; sites can remain unresolved for long periods.