Housing Accommodation

Authority Housing Local

Local authorities are the main providers of housing for people who are in need of housing and who cannot afford it from their resources. To be considered for local authority housing, you should apply to your relevant local authority. Applicants must be accepted by the local authority as being in need of housing, and houses are allocated to applicants through the relevant Local Authorities scheme of letting priorities, taking all circumstances into account. A differential rent scheme applies and rents are calculated according to your ability to pay.

Voluntary Housing

Voluntary housing is supported by local authorities and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government under two separate schemes, as follows :

Capital Assistance Scheme

Under this scheme, voluntary housing bodies provide accommodation generally one or two bedroomed units, to meet special housing needs such as those of the elderly, disabled, homeless or smaller families. The voluntary housing bodies decide on the type of housing projects/services they will provide having regard to local needs and are responsible for tenancy allocations in consultation with the local authorities. A minimum of 75 % of the houses in each project are reserved for persons whose applications for local authority housing have been approved by the local authority, homeless persons, or local authority tenants and tenant purchasers who return their dwellings to the local authority. The remaining houses in a project are let to people nominated by the voluntary housing body. Rents are determined having regard to tenants means and the cost of managing and maintaining the dwellings.

Capital Loan and Subsidy Scheme

Under this scheme, voluntary housing bodies provide housing for renting particularly to meet the need of low-income families. A minimum of 75% of the houses in each project must be let by the voluntary housing bodies to households that are qualified for local authority housing. The remaining houses in a project are let to people nominated by the voluntary housing body. Rents are related to your ability to pay, taking account of household earnings and circumstances. Tenants of the houses are centrally involved in the management of their estates.

Mortgage Allowance Scheme

If you are a tenant or tenant purchaser of a local authority house returning your existing house to the local authority and taking out a mortgage of at least €38,092 to purchase a house or to have a house built for yourself, you may qualify for a mortgage allowance. The allowance is similarly available if you are a tenant of more than one year of a house provided by a voluntary housing body under the Capital Loan and Subsidy Scheme returning your existing house to the body. The mortgage allowance is an allowance of up to €11,428 paid on a reducing basis over 5 years and is designed to ease the transition from rent to mortgage. The allowance is paid directly to the mortgage lender so that your mortgage repayments are reduced by the amount of the subsidy.