Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 December 2021
225. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 304 of 22 June 2021 and 440 of 19 October 2021, the reason such a tenant cannot purchase a rural local authority house when they do not require a loan from the local authority; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61101/21]
View answerThe Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme came into operation on 1 January 2016. The scheme is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the scheme.
To be eligible, tenants must meet certain criteria, including having a minimum reckonable income of €15,000 per annum and having been in receipt of social housing support for at least one year. A tenant's reckonable income is determined by the relevant local authority in accordance with sections 24(3) and (4) of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 and any directions issued by the Minister thereunder. In determining a tenants income, local authorities can include incomes from employment, private pensions, maintenance payments and certain social welfare payments (including pensions) where the social welfare payment is secondary to employment income.
Financing the purchase of houses under the scheme is generally a matter for tenants and is a not linked to eligibility. Typically, the purchase may be financed from one, or a combination, of (a) their own resources, (b) a mortgage provided by a financial institution or (c) a local authority house purchase loan.
Housing for All, A New Housing Plan for Ireland, commits to maintaining the right of social housing tenants to purchase their homes, albeit with some changes to eligibility. The commitments in Housing for All are being examined as part of the broader social housing reform agenda. I expect to finalise changes to the scheme before the end of the year.
