Housing initiative to offset end of eviction ban to hit targets, says department

The tenant-in-situ scheme encourages local authorities to buy properties that have been put up for sale by the landlord where there is an existing tenant in receipt of the housing assistance payment. 

A key government housing initiative to offset the effects of ending the eviction ban will hit its targets despite some councils not having completed a single home purchase so far.

An analysis of figures provided by local authorities across the country shows there are now over 1,800 tenant-in-situ purchases in the pipeline, though completed and agreed sales make up just 650 of those.

The tenant-in-situ scheme encourages local authorities to buy properties that have been put up for sale by the landlord where there is an existing tenant in receipt of the housing assistance payment (HAP). 

It was pinpointed by Minister Darragh O'Brien as being one of a number of responses to ease the impact of ending the eviction ban in March. 

Mr O'Brien said his department would fund councils to purchase 1,500 homes for existing tenants, but progress on final sales has been somewhat slow.

Despite that, councils say they are engaged in inspections and negotiations of hundreds of properties.

In Dublin, the City Council said it has bought 53 homes, but has 191 sale-agreed and 128 under inspection. 

In Fingal, the council has bought eight homes, is sale-agreed on 48, and is in conveyancing or inspections on 68. 

For South Dublin, 57 homes have been purchased and 208 are at various stages of inspection, while Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Council has bought three homes and is in the process of adding nine more.

In Cork, the City Council says it is in the process of purchasing a total of 79 homes, while in the county, 56 are sale-agreed and 38 have begun the process. 

Limerick City and County Council has bought 17 homes with 47 sale-agreed, and 153 in the pipeline. 

In Waterford, one home purchase has been completed while 31 are agreed and 14 more are in the pipeline.

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A Department spokesperson said the scheme will deliver "at least" 1,500 additional social homes this year.

"The Department will fund and support local authorities to acquire at least 1,500 social homes in 2023. 

"The majority of these acquisitions will be focussed on properties where a social housing tenant has received a notice of termination due to the landlord’s intention to sell the property

"The Department is working closely with the local authorities on the delivery of the acquisition programme and is monitoring activity at the local authority level. 

"It should be noted that there is a time period between a local authority agreeing to purchase a property and the completion of the acquisition. 

"Based on the level of activity at the local authority level, the Department is confident that at least 1,500 social housing acquisitions will be completed during 2023."

However, the figures highlight the overall delay in completing sales. 

At an Oireachtas Housing Committee meeting in March, a representative for the County and City Management Association (CCMA) Coilín O’Reilly said it can take four months on average from start to finish to acquire a property under the scheme.