Seán Sherlock
Question:310. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will report on the Housing for All objective to reform the tenant purchase scheme. [17539/22]
View answerTuesday, 5 April 2022
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The Tenant Purchase Scheme is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the scheme.
The scheme was reviewed in 2021 in line with Programme for Government and Housing for All commitments. The Government approved a number of amendments on foot of the review and these came into effect on 1st February 2022.
The amendments include a reduction in the minimum reckonable income required to be eligible under the scheme from €15,000 to €12,500. This means older tenants, whose only income might be the contributory or non-contributory State pension, may qualify to buy their homes if they have the financial means to do so. The time an applicant is required to be in receipt of social housing supports to be able to apply under the scheme has also been revised. This has been increased from one to ten years.
Further changes to the scheme are currently being examined as part of the work on the broader social housing reform agenda.