Cecilia Keaveney
Ceist:144 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for the Environment the help, if any, which is currently available for tenants of local authority housing to buy out their houses. [19091/96]
Written Answers. - Tenant Purchase Scheme.
A new tenant purchase scheme for local authority houses was introduced with effect from 1 May 1995. This scheme increased the discounts available under the previous one and, for the first time, introduces a shared ownership option to make purchase more affordable to tenants.
Tenants of local authority houses who have held a tenancy for at least one year may apply to purchase their dwellings either outright or by way of shared ownership. A discount of 3 per cent will be deducted from the market value of the house for each year of tenancy, up to a maximum of ten years, plus £3,000.
The necessary mortgage finance for either an outright or a shared ownership purchase may be obtained from the local authority. In the case of an outright purchase, the applicant also has the choice of applying for a loan from a commercial lending agency.
Information leaflets on the scheme are available from my Department and from local authorities.