Please click here for our step by step guide to purchasing an affordable house

Use this checklist to help you when preparing for your application

• Your full name, date of birth and PPS Number
• Confirmation that you are a First-Time buyer (or Fresh Start applicant)
• Proof of Income
• Proof of right to reside in the Republic of Ireland
• Evidence of your savings and/or deposit
• Stamp 4 Eligibility
• A Mortgage Approval in Principle letter stating the maximum mortgage available to you may be required as part of the process
• Confirmation of eligibility for Help to Buy, if applicable

The affordable purchase price will be calculated by Wicklow County Council based on the “purchasing power” of eligible applicants. This calculation takes into account applicants maximum mortgage capacity and the minimum price set for the home by the Council.

The purchasing power of applicants will be calculated as the combined total of:

Maximum mortgage capacity, i.e., 4 times gross household income
A minimum deposit of 10% of the affordable purchase price
Relevant savings**

**If you have savings above a certain amount, you may not qualify for the scheme. You can have the money to cover the deposit on the home and an additional €30,000. Anything above this is added to your purchasing power. And, if this purchasing power goes above the maximum price set for each home, you are not eligible for the scheme.

Affordable Purchase Price Example – Property with a Market Value of €390,000 

The below examples show varying incomes and how they determine the affordable purchase price and the Council’s equity share of a property with a market value of €390,000.

You can see the higher an applicant’s purchasing power is, the more they will contribute to the price and the less equity the Council will take.

Calculations shown are for illustrative and guidance purposes only.

In order to be eligible to apply for Affordable Housing, applicants must satisfy the below criteria:

• Be a first-time buyer or meet the exceptions under the Fresh Start Principle, or own a dwelling which, because of its size, is not suited to the current accommodation needs of the applicant’s household.
• Each person included in the application must have the right to reside indefinitely in the State.  
• The affordable home must be the household’s normal place of residence.
• The gross household income must be below a certain amount.  This income limit will be different for each scheme.

As well as the above eligibility criteria, a Scheme of Priority was approved by the Elected Members of Wicklow County Council on 25/08/2022

The purpose of the Scheme of Priority is that it outlines the rules Wicklow County Council uses to decide which applicants will be offered dwellings. The Scheme of Priority will apply in the event where there are more eligible applicants than affordable homes available.

Wicklow County Council’s Scheme of Priority Document 08122025 can be viewed here. 

While it is not a requirement, it is recommended that applicants have their Mortgage Approval in Principle prior to applying for Affordable Housing or at least be in a position to apply for a mortgage.

A minimum deposit of 10% of the purchase price of the property will also be required so applicants should ensure they have sufficient savings before applying. First time buyer applicants can avail of the Help to Buy Scheme. This is operated by the Revenue Commissioners.

For more information please see: https://www.revenue.ie/en/property/help-to-buy-incentive/index.aspx

There will be an individual application for each Affordable Housing scheme, there is no general application form or waiting list.

When affordable homes are made available for purchase, they will be advertised in the following places;

1. Wicklow County Council’s website
2. Wicklow County Council’s Social Media pages
3. In a local/national newspaper

The advertisement will include details about the scheme including how and when to apply.  

Applications will be accepted through an online application portal. On the day the application portal opens, you will first need to register on the portal and then you can proceed to complete the online application form and submit the requested documentation.

Please be aware that applications will be prioritised on a first come first served basis.

A link to the application portal along (see above) also with a list of the required documentation will be available on Wicklow County Council’s website.

1.      Proof of Income Documentation required: 

If EMPLOYED, please provide your most recent Employment Detail Summary (previously known as P60) which is available via www.revenue.ie/MyAccount.

AND

• Please also arrange to have this salary certificate completed by your employer. Payslips are NOT acceptable evidence.  
• If SELF EMPLOYED, please upload Accountants Report/Audited Accounts (2 Years Required), Current Tax Balancing Statement & Current Preliminary Revenue Tax Payment Receipt.
• If NOT EMPLOYED, please upload Statement of total benefits received from Social Welfare which can be requested via email from your local Social Welfare/Intreo office.

2.      Proof of Citizenship

Passport or Birth Certificate (In the event you upload a Birth Certificate as proof, you must also upload photographic ID such as valid passport, EU Identity Card, EU/EEA Driving Licence)

3.      Proof of Right to Reside in Ireland (if applicable)

For non-EU/EEA applicants:

• please submit a copy of your Irish Resident Permit (IRP) card, indicating which stamp/permissions you have, e.g. Stamp 4, Stamp 1G.
• All non-EEA/EU applicants who do not have a Stamp 4 must be legally resident in Ireland for a period of 5 years; or have leave to remain extending to potentially permit 5 years reckonable residence; or have indefinite leave to remain in the State. Five years proof of address and IRP cards must be submitted.
• An application from a non-EEA/EU national, who is a spouse or civil partner of an EU/EEA national, may be considered as part of a joint application for that household, provided they have a valid residence card or permanent residence card with a valid Stamp 4EUFam.
• UK citizens will be regarded as being legally resident in Ireland. (This accords with the Common Travel Area requirements)

4.      Evidence of Ability to finance the purchase

A mortgage letter of approval in principle from a participating lender stating the maximum mortgage available to applicants,

And

Proof of savings and deposit in the form of a current bank statement on headed paper dated within the last 6 months. (If applicable, please include proof of Help-to-Buy).

5.      Proof of Buyer Status

For First Time Buyers –

• Confirmation of eligibility for Help to Buy Scheme: Printout from Revenue portal (myAccount for PAYE applicants / ROS for Self-assessed applicants) confirming names of applicant(s) and maximum entitlement under the scheme), OR a printout from Revenue portal showing application submitted/acknowledged and “Under Review”. If submitting a joint application, the Help to Buy confirmation must also be in joint names.
• *Note that applicants are considered first-time-buyers only if BOTH are buying their home for the first time.
• Further information on Help to Buy is available on Revenue.ie.
• If you are a First Time Buyer and not availing of the Help to Buy, please provide a sworn affidavit from a Solicitor confirming that you have never previously owned a dwelling in Ireland or any other State.

For Fresh Start Applicants 

• Court Decree / Separation Agreement / Solicitors letter confirming the applicant is divorced/separated or otherwise and have left the property and divested themselves of their interest in the property.
• Copy of Land Registry showing name removed from property.
• Where the applicant has been divested of a previous property through insolvency or bankruptcy proceedings, proof of the applicant’s status on the bankruptcy register is required. Proof that any property you previously owned or built has been sold, or given as part of a personal insolvency, bankruptcy agreement or other legal insolvency process.
• Applicant who’s dwelling because of its size, is not suited to the current needs of their household, please provide an up-to-date valuation of your current property. Your current property must be sale agreed or advertised for sale.

6.      Proof of Residency in Wicklow Administrative area for a minimum of 5 years, for applicants to qualify under the 30% Residency Rule (provide at least one document dated in each of the 5 years)

• Series of utility bills
• Bank/Credit Union statements *see note below. 
• Documents issued by any government department that shows your address.

**Please note, if the ‘Date of Statement’ is ‘forward’ as circled below, the document will not count as part of your proof of residency. This part of the document should include an actual date in order to be valid, for example: 3 June 2021.

Your application will be assessed, and it will be determined whether you qualify for an affordable dwelling or not.  When all applications have been assessed and eligibility has been determined, Wicklow County Council will contact all applicants to advise if they have been successful and if they will be receiving an offer or not, depending on the number of properties available.

Further details on the Affordable Housing Scheme can be found in the documents below:

• Affordable Housing Act 2021
• Affordable Housing Regulations 2023
• Affordable Housing (No. 2) Regulations 2023
• Fresh Start Principle Guidance