'Miserable' 10 extra eviction properties in Laois can be bought by council
A new Government policy to buy private rental homes where tenants are facing eviction, so they can stay on as council tenants, has an "miserable" low target in Laois.
Laois County Council has been given a target of 10 homes by the Department of Housing, under the new Tenant In Situ scheme.
Councillors didn't hold back on their low opinion of the allowance, speaking at the March meeting of Laois County Council.
"It's miserable, an embarrassment that we can only be allowed to purchase 10. Let's say you have a tenant in situ that is only a year on our housing waiting list, but they are facing eviction. How do we square that with someone on the list for eight years? It's not workable. To me it's a ticking of the box," Sinn Féin Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley said.
Fianna Fáil Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald slammed it as an "absolute scandal".
"The most disappointing thing of all is this announcement. With what's going on at the moment, the Department is saying one thing and doing another with us as a council. It's a crisis. This is not good enough at all," she said.
The Director of Services for Housing Angela McEvoy said she noted their frustration.
"We have to get clarity on how far above we can go," she said.
The 10 homes are on top of what Laois County Council is already permitted to buy.
Councils were already allowed to buy up homes on the market where tenants on social housing support got notice to quit, but they had to be either one bedroom, or giving a solution to a homeless situation or for someone with specific needs. The cost also has to be within guidelines.
A new amendment sent out by the Department of Housing in March, adds in more tenants who are getting HAP or RAS payments.
It follows the lifting of the ban on evictions in Ireland on April 1.
The council say that the figure of 10 of these for Laois is "not a target" but is to help them prioritise which properties to buy.
"The council will continue to deal with requests to accommodate tenants experiencing threats of eviction and to purchase houses in which they live".
However each case will take into account the tenants' rental history, any incidents of anti-social behaviour, their needs and any special circumstances. The property price and its condition will also play a part in any purchases.