Further restrictions have been applied to a key State scheme aimed at preventing people from entering homelessness. New restrictions will be applied to the Tenant in Situ scheme which was introduced in 2023 to help protect vulnerable renters whose landlords were selling up.
The scheme allows local authorities to buy properties where tenants are facing eviction when the landlord is selling the property. It applies to tenants who have received a notice of termination, are deemed at risk of experiencing homelessness and who qualify for social housing support.
However, further restrictions have now been placed on the scheme, with local authorities told to “prioritise acquisitions for families with children, older persons or people with a disability”.
In a statement the department said “the introduction of mandatory eligibility criteria for Tenant in Situ acquisitions for 2025 will ensure that the priority categories of need outlined above can benefit fairly from the second-hand acquisitions programme and that the funding available will be targeted at those most in need.”
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Minister for Housing James Browne on Tuesday announced a budget of €265 million for State housing acquisitions including the Tenant in Situ scheme and Buy and Renew acquisitions which tackle vacancy.
Local authorities will now be told by the Department of Housing how much capital funding they will be allocated for these types of acquisitions.
There have been repeated calls by Opposition parties and local councillors over recent weeks to finalise the Tenant in Situ funding as local authorities could not make decisions without it.
On Monday Sinn Féin councillor Daithí Doolan tabled a motion at a Dublin City Council meeting calling on the Minister to reinstate the scheme.
“Despite the deepening housing crisis in Dublin we are waiting over two months for the Government to release funding for this year’s scheme. This year alone dozens of families are facing no-fault evictions, whereby the Tenant In Situ scheme would have allowed them to remain safe in their home.”
