It has emerged that local authorities are being re-offered properties from the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) that they have already refused for social housing.

Councils turned down over one-third of the properties offered by NAMA, because they were deemed inappropriate for social housing.

But they are now taking a second look at 500 of them given the increased threat of homelessness.

NAMA has already handed over 684 properties for social housing, and hopes to have another 400 by the end of the year.

NAMA chief executive Brendan McDonagh says a lot of NAMA's housing stock simply is not useful for social housing.