Social and Affordable Housing Eligibility

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 March 2015

Wednesday, 25 March 2015

Questions (191)

Michelle Mulherin

Question:

191. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will address the anomaly whereby a person or couple in serious mortgage arrears who voluntarily surrender their home to a bank because of their inability to pay are deemed disqualified from being housed by their local authority, even though they have no other home and have very little choice in this regard; and which anomaly is an impediment for some distressed borrowers in trying to sort out the issue of mortgage arrears on their homes expeditiously without lengthy court proceedings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12319/15]

Written answers

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

For a household to qualify for social housing support a housing authority must carry out an assessment to establish whether the household is in need of housing and meets certain eligibility criteria, including income limits. As part of a concerted effort to deal with the issue of mortgage arrears, the Social Housing Assessment Regulations were amended in 2011 to provide that a household may be determined to be in need of housing if it has a mortgage that is deemed to be unsustainable under the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process.