More than 100 families in Dublin are at risk of homelessness after Dublin City Council paused new applications to the tenant-in-situ scheme due to a lack of funding, council figures indicate.
The scheme allows local authorities to buy properties where the tenants are facing eviction because the landlord is selling.
It applies to tenants who have received a notice of termination, are deemed at risk of homelessness and who qualify for social housing support such as the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) or the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS).
New restrictions were applied to the scheme this year, including a stipulation that the home must be in the HAP or RAS system for at least two years.
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There have also been lengthy delays in the issuing of Government funding to the scheme as Minister for Housing James Browne reviewed its terms.
The council’s head of housing Mick Mulhern told city councillors at the end of March that no confirmation of its funding allocation had been sent by the Department of Housing.
At that point there were 104 applications to the council for access to the scheme.
The council spent €117 million on 261 tenant-in-situ and 83 vacant property acquisitions in 2024.
However, following an inquiry by Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne last week, the council confirmed in correspondence that “the tenant-in-situ scheme is no longer operating” and that “the funding has been withdrawn”.
When asked to comment on the remarks, the council said: “The acquisitions section have confirmed that the 2025 budget for the tenant-in-situ (TiS) scheme has been allocated, and that DCC will not be purchasing any further properties through the TiS scheme until 2026.”
Mr Hearne said the decision was “absolutely unacceptable” and would result in “families and children being thrown into homelessness”.
“It also goes against the commitment made by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael when they lifted the eviction ban in 2023 that they would provide protections for tenants through a tenant-in-situ scheme, and a supposedly renewed commitment made to the tenant-in-situ scheme this year,” Mr Hearne said.
Asked to comment on the correspondence received by Mr Hearne, a spokesman for the council said it had been allocated €95 million for the entire 2025 acquisitions programme.
This covers the Buy and Renew Scheme, second-hand acquisitions for elderly people and those with a disability, exits from homelessness and the tenant-in-situ scheme.
The council said that of the €95 million allocated for 2025, about €37 million will be used to fund the cost of homes acquired in 2024.
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A further portion of the €95 million will be used to fund the acquisition of homes that were sale-agreed in 2024, “but that will only complete in 2025, and a portion will be used to fund the refurbishment costs for works carried out in 2024″, the council said.
“DCC is currently working with the Department of Housing to determine how much of the €95 million will remain once all of the above are accounted for,” the spokesperson said.
“In advance of completing this assessment, DCC is unable to proceed with any new tenant in situ.”
The department denied that any funding had been withdrawn, saying: “The Government is committed to continue tenant-in-situ or second-hand acquisitions as an option for our local authorities.”
