The outgoing Coalition’s decision to lift the eviction ban at the end of March 2023 led to an outcry among unions and tenants, fractious scenes in Leinster House and a motion of no confidence in the Government.
The ban had been introduced the previous October in response to acute rental accommodation shortages and an expected rise in homelessness over the winter.
Public anger over the housing crisis was palpable as charities labelled the decision to lift the ban as “cruel” and “heartless”.
Arguing that the situation would worsen in future if the ban was kept in place for another temporary spell, Ministers instead promised a package of alternative measures to tackle homelessness and rental supply problems. One of the measures born from that was the cost-rental tenant in situ scheme, designed to buy homes from landlords looking to sell, where the tenant was at risk of homelessness.
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So how does it work and has it been a success?
[ Has Fingal County Council found a solution to our housing crisis?Opens in new window ]
First, the local authority conducts an initial assessment for eligibility of tenants who want to be part of the scheme (are they within the income limits? Are they in receipt of housing support or not?) before passing successful applications to the Housing Agency.
This agency is responsible for administering and managing the scheme on behalf of the Department of Housing. Before making an offer on a property, the agency must check if the cost of the property fits with guidelines issued by the Government for each local authority area. They will also look at whether any repairs or upgrades are needed. Moreover, the agency will make an offer to the vendor based on an independent market valuation.
Issues which have arisen include delays in acquiring a property, or the landlord deciding to go with a higher bidder as there is no obligation to offer the property to the scheme.
Politicians who have queried purchasing delays have been told this can sometimes be because of title difficulties, outstanding property taxes, and a lack of timely progress from the sellers’ legal and sales agents.
Despite those issues, the Government believes the scheme has been a success. Inarguably, saving 120 families from potential homelessness is a positive development. Without any published targets, however, it is hard to know whether the acquisition of 120 properties in about 20 months is anywhere near ambitious enough.
Questions will also be raised about the price of some of the properties which have been acquired, including two homes in Dublin for €595,000 and €645,000.
As with a separate tenant in situ scheme for those who receive social housing supports like the Housing Assistance Payment and Rental Accommodation Scheme, the cost-rental tenant in situ scheme comes with “acquisition cost guidelines”. These are updated annually and reference upper and lower limits.
Finally, the aim of the scheme was to move tenants from the existing situation, where they pay the Housing Agency the same rent they paid their old landlord, to a cost-rental model run by an Approved Housing Body (AHB). Progress on this has clearly been painfully slow with questions outstanding about why AHBs are not getting involved.
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