The number of families at risk of homelessness due to the lack of funding for the tenant-in-situ scheme has risen to more than 160, after a second local authority in Dublin paused applications.
The scheme allows local authorities to buy properties that host tenants 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 conducted a review of its terms.
In June, Dublin City Council confirmed it had paused all new applications to the scheme as its 2025 budget had already been allocated. The council had 104 applications to the scheme by March.
Fingal County Council has now confirmed it is in the same position and will not be proceeding with any more purchases under the scheme.
In a letter sent to Sinn Féin TD for Fingal West Louise O’Reilly, the local authority said its budget for 2025 “has been exhausted” after it made 32 acquisitions under tenant in situ, with one remaining sale going through the conveyancing process.
This compares to 121 tenant-in-situ acquisitions made in 2024.
“There were 60 tenant-in-situ applications that were paused at the beginning of the year and did not proceed due to limited funding,” the council said.
One of those applications was by a woman and her young child who are living in rental accommodation in Balbriggan. Ms O’Reilly said the woman’s child was due to start school in the area in September but now they are at risk of homelessness.
The woman received a notice to quit in August 2024 and applied for the tenant-in-situ scheme in March. Ms O’Reilly said the woman understood she was accepted for the scheme until she learned last month about the council pausing applications.
“The stress she is under is inhumane. She has also lost valuable time that she could have been searching for somewhere to live while believing that the tenant-in-situ purchase was ongoing,” Ms O’Reilly said of her constituent.
“The Government has now literally removed the only homeless prevention measure that my constituents had. It is beyond heartbreaking to see the human impact of this decision on families and especially on children,” she said.
