Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 June 2023
646. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if changes made by his Department now require a tenant to have resided in their home for ten years before accessing this scheme in relation to the tenant purchase scheme for local authority tenants, or if years previously spent on social housing supports, and so on, count towards this ten-year period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27059/23]
View answerThe Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme provides for the purchase by eligible tenants, or eligible joint tenants, of local authority homes available for sale under the scheme.
The Government approved a number of amendments to the scheme on foot of a review in 2021 and these came into effect on 1st February 2022.
The amendments included requiring an applicant tenant or, in the case of applications from joint tenants, both tenants to be in receipt of social housing support for a minimum of 10 years to be eligible to purchase their home under the scheme. Accordingly, time in receipt of support under the Rental Accommodation Scheme and Housing Assistance Payment scheme can count towards the 10 year requirement.
Rent supplement is not a social housing support. Accordingly, time spent in receipt of this support is not reckonable for the purposes of meeting the 10-year criterion.
