Cork City Council only bought three tenant-in-situ homes

Measure to alleviate the lifting of the eviction ban has only been used three times by the country's largest local authority

Just three houses have been bought by Cork City Council under the tenant-in-situ scheme, according to a council briefing prepared ahead of the lifting of the eviction ban.

The briefing, created for a special council meeting on housing, shows that 135 contacts have been received from landlords or tenants in relation to the scheme since June 2022, yet just three properties have been purchased while another 25 are “progressing to acquisition”.

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).

A further 61 properties are under review, according to the briefing on March 29 — the eviction ban came to an end on March 31.

Threshold CEO John-Mark McCafferty: 'Many of those losing their homes are those forced to turn to homeless services as they are unable to find new accommodation in the private rental sector.' File picture Jason Clarke

Separate to the scheme, under the Housing for All targets for 2022 to 2026, some 3,934 units are set to be delivered by the council. Some 729 social housing units were delivered in 2022.

According to the briefing, some 144 households in Cork City received a valid notice of termination (NoT). It stated: 

It is important to note that whereas there are 144 valid NoTs in the city area, to date, the working group has received 135 queries from tenants and landlords.

“This is the key focus for the working group, with priority being allocated in date of termination order.”

It comes as 4,329 notices to quit were issued to renters by landlords in the final three months of last year, according to new data from the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB). Of these, 2,514 were issued by landlords who intend to sell the property.

Some 475 NoTs were issued in Cork, the second-highest figure after the 1,871 NoTs in Dublin.

John-Mark McCafferty, chief executive of national housing charity Threshold, said the level of NoTs indicates the “extreme challenges” of the housing crisis.

“Many of those losing their homes are those forced to turn to homeless services as they are unable to find new accommodation in the private rental sector,” he said. “To compound matters, emergency accommodation is in short supply in many local authorities.”

Mr McCafferty noted that 58% of NoTs received by tenants were issued as the landlord intends to sell the rental property.

“[There are] a reported 2,513 homes suitable for long-term housing vacating the private rental market, stretching already limited rental supply even further. 

It is critical that local authorities act in a proactive manner to purchase and retain these properties for the rental market, which could save at least some households from entering homelessness.

Threshold said it has 4,020 open cases concerning NoTs, with 55% of notices received by advisers found to be invalid.

Cork City Council said it has prevented 64 households with a valid NoT from entering homeless services to date, which includes the purchasing of the three properties as well as 25 progressing to acquisition.

The council sourced alternative accommodation through social housing or HAP for 34 households.