Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 November 2023
673. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage what power the Housing Agency has with respect to purchasing houses under the tenant-in-situ scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48571/23]
View answerThe Government has developed the ‘Cost Rental Tenant In-Situ’ (CRTiS) 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. The scheme was established on a temporary administrative basis from 1 April 2023, pending further policy development over the longer term with the intention of transitioning these tenants and homes to the standard Cost Rental model.
The temporary scheme is administered by the Housing Agency who have delegated sanction to acquire homes under the Cost Rental Tenant in Situ scheme, once they are in line with the Acquisition Cost Guidelines (ACGs). My Department issued ACGs in April of this year for each local authority area, which are updated by my Department on an annual basis.
The ACGs provide cost guidelines for the acquisition by housing authorities, of second-hand properties for the provision of social housing. These guidelines reference lower and upper cost ranges along with an average/benchmark cost, which is representative of the average range of current (at the time of issue) prices across the local authority area. The same ACGs are used by the Housing Agency for the acquisition of homes under the Cost Rental Tenant in Situ (CRTiS) scheme.
