Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 October 2023
307. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of refusals by the Housing Agency for the cost rental backstop, by reason for refusal, in tabular form. [44716/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra308. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the process for determining eligibility of a property for the cost rental backstop; and the criteria that would make a property unsuitable despite eligibility of the tenants. [44717/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 307 and 308 together.
The Cost Rental Tenant In-Situ (CRTiS) scheme was introduced on 1 April 2023, for tenants in private rental homes who are at risk of homelessness because a landlord has served a valid Notice of Termination due to an intention to sell the property. The Housing Agency may purchase the home and allow the tenant to continue residing in it, where the tenant is not in receipt of social housing supports and has a net household incomes within the limits set for Cost Rental housing (increased on 1 August to €66,000 for Cost Rental homes in Dublin and €59,000 in the rest of Ireland).
Where a tenant is judged by the relevant Local Authority to be at risk of homelessness and is not in receipt of social housing supports, the Local Authority passes the case details to the Housing Agency, which has the dual task of assessing both the tenant and the property. As of 29 September, the Agency had assessed 130 cases on referral from Local Authorities, and in 108 cases had progressed to consider the status of the property. The reasons for not progressing some cases include tenants having net household incomes above the limits for Cost Rental, tenants vacating the properties, tenants ceasing engagement with the Agency or formally withdrawing their application, and the Agency referring cases back to Local Authorities where the tenant could be assisted with social housing supports.
Of the 108 properties considered by the Housing Agency for acquisition, 17 are no longer progressing towards acquisition despite the Agency’s efforts. In some cases it was not possible to reconcile vendor expectations on price with the Housing Agency’s independent professional valuation of the property, or to achieve an overall capital cost within the Acquisition Cost Guidelines issued by my Department in April of this year for each Local Authority area. In some cases very substantial works would be required to bring the property into compliance with the minimum standards for rental accommodation or to stabilise the physical condition of the property and make it suitable for long-term Cost Rental use. If the condition of the property is too poor or the works required would only be possible in a vacant property, the decision is taken not to proceed with that acquisition. In a small number of cases the vendor has declined to engage with the Housing Agency or to allow access for the Agency to conduct technical assessments.
The Housing Agency is mindful of the purpose of the CRTiS scheme to assist tenants at risk of homelessness, the need to ensure value for money in the expenditure of public funds, and the goal that acquired homes will be used as Cost Rental housing over the long term. The scheme remains on an administrative basis while my Department plans for the transition of such homes to the standard Cost Rental framework.
