Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 November 2023
252. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider the introduction of emergency measures to enable local authorities to purchase houses where the number of people on housing lists is increasing by virtue of housing repossessions which will result in people becoming homeless at short notice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49238/23]
View answer253. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider the introduction of emergency measures to enable Kildare County Council to purchase houses where the number of people on housing lists is increasing by virtue of housing repossessions which will result in people becoming homeless at short notice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49239/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 252 and 253 together.
The focus of my Department, and that of the Government, is to ensure that as many households as possible remain in their homes and in this regard, a range of measures are currently being implemented across Government Departments and agencies. A number of these actions are focused on encouraging those in mortgage distress to reach a long term debt resolution and avoid repossession if possible.
The Mortgage to Rent scheme helps homeowners who are at risk of losing their homes due to mortgage arrears. The scheme is one of the possible resolutions for people who have been involved in the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process (MARP) with their lender and whose mortgage has been determined as unsustainable. The scheme is a social housing solution and is only available for homeowners or borrowers who are eligible for social housing support.
To qualify for the Mortgage to Rent scheme, an applicant’s mortgage, property and household income must all meet the eligibility criteria. An individual’s mortgage lender is the main point of contact for this scheme and potential applicants should discuss the scheme with their lender to see if it is a possible solution to their situation.
For borrowers in danger of losing their home who are ineligible for the MTR scheme but qualify for social housing support, it is recommended that they engage as early as possible with their local authority regarding their housing needs. It is also highly advisable that borrowers who find themselves in financial difficulty contact Abhaile. Abhaile is provided free of charge and funded by the Government. Abhaile helps people who are behind on their mortgage payments (in arrears) to find a solution and stay in their homes where possible. More information on the services provided by Abhaile can be found at https://mabs.ie/abhaile/about-abhaile/.
In instances where a tenant in receipt of a social housing support receives a Notice of Termination, my Department has introduced the Social Housing Tenant in Situ Scheme. To support private tenants that receive a Notice of Termination my Department has introduced the Cost Rental Tenant in Situ Scheme.
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 at least 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 target for social housing acquisitions in 2023 and these allocations are being kept under review.
The 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 current household net income limit for scheme eligibility is €66,000 for Dublin and €59,000 elsewhere. This is in line with the revised income limits for Cost Rental which came into effect from 1 August 2023. Local Authority Housing Officers have responsibility for assessing the risk of homelessness to tenants who have received a valid notification of termination due to an intended sale of a property, and so it is the local authority that tenants should first approach.
My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social and affordable housing delivery activity by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) in each local authority, including completed acquisitions. From 2023, this data includes a breakdown of acquisitions completed by each local authority where a Notice of Termination issued to a tenant and is available, for all local authorities, to the end of Quarter 2 2023 on the statistics page of my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/.
The Cost Rental Tenant in Situ scheme is administered by the Housing Agency and, as of the end of Q2 2023, 68 cases had been referred to the Housing Agency by 21 local authorities. It is intended that data in relation to the Scheme will be published on a quarterly basis.
