Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 May 2023
108. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of properties approved by both Cork City Council and Cork County Council for the tenant in-situ-scheme; the number of properties actually handed over, and those still in train; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23220/23]
View answer145. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the tenant-in-situ scheme for both social and cost rental tenants, including information on the total number of applications for the scheme, applications rejected and applications being processed; and number of homes bought or with offers made. [23334/23]
View answer151. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when he will introduce legislation or regulations to ensure that the tenant-in-situ and cost rental tenant-in-situ-schemes will include first refusal for the tenant, the council or approved housing bodies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23565/23]
View answer155. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he can clarify the measures that he intends to take in situations where a landlord or property owner is refusing to engage with councils or approved housing bodies on the sale of a property with in-situ tenants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23479/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 108, 145, 151 and 155 together.
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. Cork City have a provisional allocation to acquire 80 social homes in 2023, while Cork County Council have a provisional allocation to acquire 60 homes. These allocations will be kept under review.
Feedback from the local authorities indicates that the target of 1,500 acquisitions will be met, with significant activity ongoing in this area. Details of social housing 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/ .
My Department is liaising closely with local authorities and has set up a Cross-Sectoral Steering Group on Acquisitions to identify those elements of the current process, if any, which are proving challenging. The question of landlord’s refusing to engage with a local authority or an Approved Housing Body is not believed to be a significant barrier. Legislative and administrative measures are being examined to help a tenant to buy their rented home on the basis of a landlord offering their tenant first refusal to buy. I will bring forward any necessary and justifiable legislative changes in a timely manner.
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 statistics.
