Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 July 2018
2602. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to an instance in which an applicant to the Rebuilding Ireland home loans scheme meets difficulty in view of the fact their contractual employment does not cover the calendar year in spite of their employment as a second-level teacher; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32545/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan is targeted at first-time buyers who wish to own their own home, have access to an adequate deposit and have the capacity to repay a mortgage, but who are unable to access a mortgage sufficient for them to purchase their first home. As with the previous local authority loan offerings, the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan is available to first-time buyers only, to ensure the effective targeting of limited resources.
To be eligible for a Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan, you must be in continuous employment for a minimum of two years, as a primary applicant or be in continuous employment for a minimum of one year, as a secondary applicant.
Continuous employment does not need to be permanent, but continuous in nature. You may be in the same employment or in more than one employment for that period, where a break in employment has lasted no more than 4 weeks. However, there are exceptions to this when it comes to applicants who are in the teaching profession. Given the nature of their work, there is a natural break in their employment due to schools being closed during holiday periods. However, once their employment resumes after these holiday periods, then the break in employment is not seen as an official break in employment for the purposes of applying for the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan.
