Under Housing for All, the Government will deliver 47,600 new build social homes and 3,500 social homes through long-term leasing in the period 2022-2026. Our clear focus is to increase the stock of social housing through new build projects delivered by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs).
For 2023, the Government has agreed that there will be increased provision for social housing acquisitions and my Department will fund local authorities to acquire up to 1,500 social homes. The additional acquisitions will be focused on properties where a tenant in receipt of social housing supports has received a Notice of Termination due to the landlord’s intention to sell the property. My Department issued a circular letter to all local authorities in March, setting out details of these arrangements and each local authority was provided with a provisional allocation for social housing acquisitions in 2023. This allocation will be kept under review.
There is extensive engagement between my Department and the local authorities on delivering social housing acquisitions. I have also established a Cross-Sectoral Group focused on supporting the acquisition programme and this Group is considering issues that are being encountered by local authorities. The issue of Owner Management Companies and private owner leases preventing the sale of a property to a local authority has not been reported as barrier by any of the local authorities. However, I am aware of media coverage of one specific case any my Department will keep this issue under review.
