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LAST UPDATE | 6 Oct 2023
JUST TWO PROPERTIES have been acquired since April under a scheme designed to keep people facing evictions in their homes.
The cost rental tenant in situ scheme was introduced by the Government earlier this year after it lifted the temporary ban on evictions that had been in place.
The scheme is operated by the Housing Agency, and is directed towards households who are renting a property and facing eviction, but who are not eligible for social housing supports like the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) or the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS).
Under the scheme, tenants facing eviction are assessed first by their local authority as to whether they are at risk of homelessness and if they may be eligible for social housing (if they are, they cannot apply for this scheme).
An applicant tenant household must have net annual income of below €66,000 per annum for Dublin and €59,000 for everywhere else in the country.
If they are deemed eligible, the local authority forwards the case to the Housing Agency, which then engages with the tenant and the landlord with a view to financing the purchase of the property by an Approved Housing Body. It will then be rented back to the tenant who can remain in the property.
However, new figures released to Sinn Féin TD Eoin Ó Broin under the Freedom of Information Act show that just two purchases have been finalised under the scheme since April.
In total, 152 referrals have been made to the Housing Agency from local authorities and other sources. A total of 130 of these have been assessed by the agency.
Of these, 112 have been put forward for acquisition. There are 38 properties in the pre-bid stage, and 10 where bids have been made but the offer has not been accepted yet. There are 45 properties where an offer has been accepted, and two where the property has been acquired.
Commenting on the figures, Ó Broin said that that Government had announced the scheme before the proper mechanisms were in place to ensure it ran smoothly, and that the entire process was “cumbersome”.
“And because of that it’s no surprise that the numbers are so low. Both in terms of interest, applications, offers and purchases,” he said.
“It’s another example of [the Government] just announcing something, saying you have support in place, scrambling around to try and get it done and it’s kind of falling flat on its face.”
Ó Broin said the Sinn Féin supported the scheme, but that it needed to be strengthened and “properly designed”.
“The idea of the scheme is good but it needs to be properly designed, properly implemented and properly driven by Government,” he said.
I think the scheme needs to be strengthened, enhanced and properly funded and rolled out.
The Housing Department has been contacted for comment.
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Absolutely nothing improving under FFG.
Country in total disarray…
The worse they leave it the harder it is to fix and the easier it is for them to blame the next government.
@Anthony Curran: Not one scheme they introduced has worked.
@David Corrigan: But their cronies have gotten wealthier and that’s all that counts!
Correct.. a terrible move. Plus, those were people who didn’t need the help.. this government as usual throwing money in the wrong places.
@Davy: biggest problem is how much worse it will actually get with lack of housing and immigration increasing,very wrong to have people out in tents in stradbally aswel not fair on them either it should have been declared a housing emergency years ago and dealt with too little too late now will take a decade at best to sort, people who want a home and a future may emigrate or couch surf,live with parents unless they’re lucky to get a job with a very good income shame on the government for lack of real action on it
@David Corrigan: nama worked…… for their buddies
@: Its really worrying that people keep voting FFG
@Denis Rathsallagh Brady: What is the alternative? SF, who’s spokesman on finance, when asked where they would get all the money to do all they say they were going to do, “Well, we would get it from somewhere”
The scheme is extremely flaud…. landlords are not selling the house to some local authority because they are being offered under the market value….i understand every house in the market is over priced but if you are being offered 20 or 30 k below what you can get from a private sale you are going to sell it privately….and probably in about 1 month compared to the 3 to 5 months that it is taking to go through the red tape and general lack of interest from the local authorities….i have a family member who has just pulled out of a council sale after 5 months of dely and sold it on the open market in 3 weeks
@and the hit’s just keep coming: That’s exactly how I’d expect that scheme to run. The notion that sellers would sell to the government, or anyone else for that matter, at below market rate is unrealistic. Local authorities take forever to do pretty much anything, so 6 months of red tape is not surprising.
Run properly it might help people to stay in an area but in the grand scheme of things, it’s just rearranging deck chairs on the titanic. The only solutions to a housing shortage is more houses or fewer people. Since the latter is not exactly an option, what needs to be done is clear.
@and the hit’s just keep coming:
I know of someone who offered council house below market value, after months toad the council didn’t want it. he had good tenants for over 8 years, who had to be made homeless with a young family. They were both very upset, later house sold on private market for 30 k more than offered to council.
@colette byrne: its absolutely crazy….the whole system if it was a private company it would go bankrupt
Laurel and Hardy would do a better job than Leo and Mícheál
@Anthony Curran: That’s another fine mess they’ve got us into.
A local authority moving quickly and efficiently- dream on.
The worst government in the history of the state.
Hopeless.
Ffg.. homes for everyone but no locals need apply
More of it….TWO houses… beyond a joke. Again…. accountability needed, people need to be taken out of their positions and then the numbers would be met.
@Mary Looners: not at all. No such thing as kinda pregnant. If its only put forward it may never materialise, only number to look at is 2… the number completed.
@Mary Looners: as you went there, unfortunately not all pregancies result in a baby. The people can not live in “plans” and might happen. there is a housing crisis, a scheme to help it has achieved two houses…like seriously how can anyone defend that.
@Dramafree 2023:
In fairness I went sale agreed for a house (in 2005) in December, got the keys in the following September.
3 to 6 months is the norm. And these people are at least already in the houses, they are not homeless, thankfully.
Stressful no doubt but it could be worse.
What a joke.O Brien surely must be the country’s greatest spoofer at this stage.
@paulgurney: pray tell, when people are seeing it daily.
why should the taxpayer/council buy properties?….64% of people are in arears and 40million is owed to Dcc alone.And the vast number of council houses are torn a new one…..So if anyone out there wants to blame anyone for the lack of council houses….blame people that are in council houses.
@uUleRhCu: Surprise, surprise.. here’s John in his FG pyjamas blaming everyone except those most responsibilities.. FG and FF.
@: But is he wrong?
@Wolfgang Bonow: yes he is, the whole country lived in council housing and there was zero issues, they sold off all the stock and only house the poorest in the country, and then say we can build houses people *might* wreck them
@: I wouldn’t mind John he’s just sour that after 30 years of being on the tools the only jobs he can get is fixing lightbulb in council
Housing
@Wolfgang Bonow: I have no idea if his statistics are accurate, but I would doubt them. He is 100% wrong however to suggest that the blame for a lack of council houses lies with current council tenants. I’ve heard plenty of excuses/reasons, but not that one.. because it’s nonsense.
@: And here’s you blaming everyone but the people responsible… brand new houses are handed out and torn a new one… and that’s ff/fg fault?…lol.
@Martin Mongan: And here’s Martin ‘hand me everything’ mongan…..from the group that contributes nothing but wants everything handed to him.
@: google percentage of council tenant arears and you will see….and 110 million is owed in rent(tiny rent at that)…council can do nothing as they can’t be evicted…..That’s why people are mad to get the taxpayer to be their landlord…wreck the gaff and pay a tiny portion of your rent.
@uUleRhCu: no John difference between you and me is I spent me time on the tools and moved upwards where as you spend your time changing lightbulbs for council tenants and that’s made you so bitter towards everyone. How’s that council house you and your parents grew up in?
@uUleRhCu: Show us where anyone in government said this is the reason no council houses were being built, and then you’ll be correct. Until then, it remains childish and feeble nonsense in an effort to excuse this and the previous government’s failed policies.
@Martin Mongan: I run my own electrical contracting business and I and my family have never lived in a council house…..that’s you that is.
@uUleRhCu: yeah sure grew up in Dublin but never lived in a council estate sure we all believe you. Business my arse you change bulbs in council housing, but you can hit me up if you ever wanna join the big leagues we need lads to change the bulbs in the temporary lighting might help ye get that chip off your shoulder
@uUleRhCu: Yes and that’s why the government love HAP, they get half it back in tax and the landlord has to deal with all the non paid rent and look after any damage, sure why would they build houses?
@Martin Mongan: typical culchie attitude.that only council houses exist in dublin….plenty of beautiful private areas(like the one I live in)….and from your name mongan…I’d say you are one of those culture heads.
Yea that’s FFg and lettuce that’s how the role, but not for too long more
Renters supposed to buy houses themselves! Now all country will seat and wait till someone buys house for them!
Next up will be the sofabed accommodation grant,whereby the government will give people money to allow people to use they’re sofabeds in they’re homes between 11pm-7am,the tent option in stradbally won’t last,can’t, freezing as the winter comes in, industrial units being used up,any caravan parks use them aswel,we could convert old artic trailers and old aircraft and boats into accommodation,garden sheds at this rate,let’s keep going until there isn’t even a kennel left don’t dare try to address it as a REAL problem.
Absolutely the sharks kite. Why do we vote for these politicians.
@Áine G: I don’t.
Problem with this scam is, landlord will have someone else bid on the property to get more money for it from govt
@he didnt take the 120k because he already got it s:
How come, as mentioned above, landlords that pull out of the process can and have got more on the open market?
The majority of ‘Sales Agreed’ seems to be government opinion. Perhaps demolition is the better option as that house is condemned to fail.
Now that’s effective governance!!!!!
No Government could keep up with the increase in Population here over the last ten years. Think back to the crash in 2008 where we had bacent house through the country. We need to properly analyse WHY the housing need has increased so much.
There is a huge increase in broken relationship s so yougo from needing one house for a family to 2, that’s a huge change. You also have people living alone for various reasons, elderly, just single etc. Then the next large group of soo called English language students from all over who come here, do menial jobs as well and overstay visas. There are at least two more groups. The first are official refugees from Ukraine and Syria who are officially allowed. Then the unknown figure of illegals migrants trafficked here mostly because we’re seen as an easy touch. So that’s a basic analysis as I see it. There s huge housing developments all over Dublin anyone living there or in the outskirts would be astonished at Apartments everywhere and still it’s not enough.
Why are officials not jumping up and down and deporting illegals immediately, because employers groups won’t let them due to a shortage of labour.
Also why have we anyone on the Dole? They say the numbers are low But that figure is taken as a percentage of those at work znot the actual figure which is still too high. For example any time you here of someone before the court they rarely have a job. Free legal aid etc.
So when early posts put down the simple FFG usual lazy comments they fail to look at the big picture.
have your say