Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 September 2023
515. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to set out the rules or guidelines issued to the Housing Agency for the cost rental tenant-in-situ income eligibility test; and to explain how these rules or guidelines take into account an applicant's change of income in the previous 12 months from the date of application. [40140/23]
View answerThe Cost Rental Tenant In-Situ (CRTiS) Scheme was introduced as an interim measure, developed on an administrative basis, to address the immediate circumstances of the ending of the 'Winter Emergency Period' on 31 March 2023. This temporary scheme is available where a tenant faces the termination of a tenancy due to the landlord’s intention to sell the property.
On 31 March 2023, a circular was issued to the Housing Agency and Local Authorities in relation to Cost Rental Tenant in Situ (CRTiS) Scheme. The circular scheme included detail on income assessment. This included that under the CRTiS Scheme a household must have a net annual household income of no more than €53,000. This was subsequently revised to €66,000 for Dublin and €59,000 elsewhere in line with the revised income limits for Cost Rental which I announced in July.
The Housing Agency conducts the same assessment of household income that is currently undertaken by Approved Housing Bodies letting standard Cost Rental homes funded by the Cost Rental Equity Loan (CREL).
The guideline issued noted that income must be assessed by using the Statement of Liability from Revenue, for the relevant previous tax year.
The assessment period is the 12 months prior to the CRTiS application. For people in paid employment applying this year, this will be by way of Statement of Liability for 2022 and Payslips for the current year. Where a person is self-employed their income will be assessed for the previous year using their self-assessment details.
