Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 April 2024
16. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the average length of time from initial inquiry regarding the tenant-in-situ scheme to completed purchase under the tenant-in-situ scheme in the Fingal County Council area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15029/24]
View answerUnder 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 agreed that there would be increased provision for social housing acquisitions. This has continued into 2024 and my Department will fund local authorities to acquire up to 1,500 social homes this year. The additional acquisitions are 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 2024, setting out details of the arrangements for 2024 and each local authority was provided with a provisional allocation for social housing acquisitions.
It is a matter for individual local authorities to identify suitable acquisitions in line with local circumstances and their social housing allocations policy. The time required to complete a social housing acquisition can vary, depending on the circumstances involved. Individual property purchases can be delayed for various reasons such as title difficulties, planning issues, outstanding property taxes, general contractual conditions of sale not in place etc. The process is also reliant on timely progress from the vendor’s legal and sales agents, so timeframes vary from purchase to purchase. My Department does not hold data on the timelines for such acquisitions. This information, and the details for requesting a review on decisions made, may be available from individual local authorities.
