The Repair and Leasing Scheme (RLS) brings vacant properties in need of repair back into use for social housing. The Local Authority or Approved Housing Body pays for the repairs upfront and the home is taken into social housing stock by way of lease for at least 5 years. Before approving a unit for the scheme, local authorities must determine that the property meets the terms of the scheme, including that there is a social housing need for the unit and that the unit has been vacant for more than one year.
If a household has been deemed eligible for social housing support, it is a matter for the local authority to examine the suite of social housing supports available, including allocation of a property that has been brought back into use under the RLS, to determine the most appropriate form of social housing support for that household in the administrative area of that local authority. Accordingly, the determination of allocation of RLS properties, is governed by the same arrangements as for other social housing supports.