Latest news with #tenantinsitu
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
‘The stress is inhumane': Second Dublin council pauses scheme to buy homes of tenants at risk of homelessness
The number of families at risk of homelessness due to the lack of funding for the tenant-in-situ scheme has risen to more than 160, after a second local authority in Dublin paused applications. The scheme allows local authorities to buy properties that host tenants facing eviction because the landlord is selling. It applies to tenants who have received a notice of termination, are deemed at risk of homelessness and who qualify for social housing support such as the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) or the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS). New restrictions were applied to the scheme this year, including a stipulation that the home must be in the HAP or RAS system for at least two years. READ MORE There have also been lengthy delays in the issuing of Government funding to the scheme, as Minister for Housing James Browne conducted a review of its terms. In June, Dublin City Council confirmed it had paused all new applications to the scheme as its 2025 budget had already been allocated. The council had 104 applications to the scheme by March. Fingal County Council has now confirmed it is in the same position and will not be proceeding with any more purchases under the scheme. In a letter sent to Sinn Féin TD for Fingal West Louise O'Reilly, the local authority said its budget for 2025 'has been exhausted' after it made 32 acquisitions under tenant in situ, with one remaining sale going through the conveyancing process. This compares to 121 tenant-in-situ acquisitions made in 2024. 'There were 60 tenant-in-situ applications that were paused at the beginning of the year and did not proceed due to limited funding,' the council said. [ More than 100 families in Dublin at risk of homelessness as tenant-in-situ applications paused Opens in new window ] One of those applications was by a woman and her young child who are living in rental accommodation in Balbriggan. Ms O'Reilly said the woman's child was due to start school in the area in September but now they are at risk of homelessness. The woman received a notice to quit in August 2024 and applied for the tenant-in-situ scheme in March. Ms O'Reilly said the woman understood she was accepted for the scheme until she learned last month about the council pausing applications. 'The stress she is under is inhumane. She has also lost valuable time that she could have been searching for somewhere to live while believing that the tenant-in-situ purchase was ongoing,' Ms O'Reilly said of her constituent. 'The Government has now literally removed the only homeless prevention measure that my constituents had. It is beyond heartbreaking to see the human impact of this decision on families and especially on children,' she said.
Irish Times
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Minister for Housing reverses decision not to meet Dublin Lord Mayor
Minister for Housing James Browne has reversed a decision not to meet Dublin Lord Mayor Emma Blain over the tenant-in-situ scheme after he issued a one-line 'blanket refusal' to meet her despite her writing to him three times on the issue. The mayor, who is a Fine Gael councillor, wrote to Mr Browne three times during March and April on behalf of the council. Its members had agreed to seek a meeting, looking for assurances about future funding for the tenant-in-situ scheme. Under it, a local authority buys the property off the landlord, leaving the existing tenant in place. Councillors were looking for a guarantee on future funding for a scheme they agreed was very successful in preventing homelessness. Ms Blain received no reply to the first two letters. After the third letter, an official in Mr Browne's office wrote a one-line email to Ms Blain stating: 'The Minister has acknowledged receipt of this letter. Unfortunately he is unable to facilitate this meeting request.' READ MORE The email also addressed Ms Blain as Emma, rather than her title as Lord Mayor. Ms Blain has since raised the matter with Taoiseach Micheál Martin and asked him to intervene with the Minister. James Browne's letter to the Lord Mayor addressed her as 'Emma'. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw She pointed out the invitations were open-ended and deliberately flexible in terms of time and date to accommodate the Minister's availability. In a letter to the Taoiseach, Ms Blain said she had received 'only a single, one-line email stating that he is 'unfortunately unable to facilitate this meeting request'. 'Given that no specific date was proposed, this response can only be interpreted as a blanket refusal to engage.' She continued: 'This refusal to engage – on an issue of such significance – is profoundly disappointing. It shows a marked disrespect for the office of the Lord Mayor and to me as the first citizen of Dublin, as well as to the elected members of Dublin City Council who are working hard to protect tenants at risk of homelessness.' She asked the Taoiseach to intervene in the matter. Earlier, Ms Blain's office wrote to Mr Browne's office to advise the Lord Mayor should be addressed as Lord Mayor, and not by her first name, similar to other elected representatives. A spokeswoman for Mr Browne said the Minister would now meet Ms Blain on the matter. 'The Minister's office has today issued an invite for the Lord Mayor to meet him directly next week on the matter of second-hand acquisitions and the delivery and status of that specific scheme by Dublin City Council.' It stated it hoped the meeting could be confirmed on Wednesday. Ms Blain's stance was supported by the Social Democrats' housing spokesman Rory Hearne, who criticised Mr Browne's refusal to meet the mayor and councillors. 'Dublin city councillors have confirmed that large portions of the tenant-in-situ funding are already committed to closing 2024 acquisitions – but it is not known how much exactly,' he said. He said they were looking for funding certainty for a scheme that has worked really well.
