Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 May 2023
152. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage what numbers have requested a tenant-in-situ application with Cork County Council and Cork City Council to date this year; how many cost rentals have been advanced for 2023 to date arriving from notice to quits with both Cork local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23650/23]
View answerUnder 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.
Cork City Council have an allocation to acquire 80 social homes in 2023, while Cork County Council have an allocation of 60 homes. This allocation will be kept under review.
Details of these acquisitions will be published as part of the comprehensive programme level statistics published by my Department on a quarterly basis. This data is available for all local authorities to the end of Quarter 4 2022 and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/.
The Government has developed the ‘Cost Rental Tenant In-Situ’ scheme for tenants in private rental homes who are at risk of homelessness because a landlord intends to sell the property, but who are not in receipt of social housing supports and have net household income of no more than €53,000. Local Authorities refer those at risk to homelessness to the Housing Agency, which may acquire these homes with tenants in place using designated capital funding. This scheme has been established on a temporary administrative basis from 1 April, pending further policy development over the longer term with the intention of transitioning these tenants and homes to the standard Cost Rental model, potentially in partnership with Local Authorities or Approved Housing Bodies.
When homes acquired by the Housing Agency under the scheme are transitioned to the standard Cost Rental framework, as planned over the longer term, they will be reported under Cost Rental delivery figures.
