Tipperary Councillors are to be briefed next week at an emergency plenary meeting on the Government’s latest package of measures in response to the Housing Crisis. A wide range of measures has been announced today and details may be clarified in the coming days as the Government faces a vote on a Sinn Fein motion tomorrow calling for the ban on evictions to be continued until January 2024.
Included are plans for more social housing, expanding the tenant-in-situ scheme, more housing supply, and tax changes for small landlords which will take effect this year to encourage them to stay in the market or enter the market.
Some of the demands by the Rural Independent TD grouping are being adopted by the Government. The Taoiseach Leo Veradkar says the Croí Cónaithe refurbishment grant scheme will be extended to include derelict properties for the purpose of renting them and will now apply to houses built before 2007 which may bring properties unfinished due to the crash into use.
In addition, the Rent a Room scheme is to be modified to allow a person on social welfare to maintain their social welfare entitlements or medical card entitlements with the extra income they might earn – the scheme will be extended to also be open to local authority tenancies. Councils across the country are to have the option to buy up to 1,500 homes where people are facing Notice to Quit. In addition, there will be an expanded “tenant-in-situ” scheme which will mean that for renters in receipt of State support such as HAP – councils can purchase their home and make it available to them as social housing. For those not in receipt of State support, but at risk of homelessness, the proposal is that their local housing body or council can purchase their home and rent it to them on a “cost rental” or not-for-profit basis.
For those tenants who are in a position to purchase their home, a third option will be available whereby they will get first refusal on buying their home, and can apply for the State-backed shared equity scheme which will reduce the up-front cost of purchase by up to 30%. Alternatively, they can apply for the Local Authority Home Loan, a subsidised mortgage targeted at low and middle-income households.
