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06 Sept 2025
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06 Sept 2025
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Purchasing your council house being subject to delays!
A claim that Donegal County Council is delaying tenants from purchasing their houses in cases where they are over 30 years plus old was made by Cllr Patrick McGowan at the last full meeting of the council.
He was informed that under the Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme 2016, a local authority tenant can apply to purchase their home, subject to certain eligibility criteria.
After the tenant has applied and is deemed eligible, the general process involved the council carrying out a visual inspection of the property If there are no issues of concern, including with the structure of the property, a valuation is obtained. Calculations are completed and an offer letter is issued to the tenant. The tenant has one year from the date of the offer letter to acquire the property.
The standard terms and conditions of the offer letter within the Tenant Purchase Scheme indicate that no warranty is provided by the local authority as to the state of repair or condition of the property that is being offered.
He was also told that as with any house buyer, the tenant should obtain their own independent legal and technical advice before proceeding to acquire the
property, and this is encouraged. In light of the defective concrete block issue in the county, the council has been considering the most appropriate approach with regard to issuing offers and proceeding with sales under the Tenant Purchase Scheme.
Cllr McGowan also heard that an approach was considered and agreed upon by the Housing and Corporate Strategic Policy Committee earlier this year which takes into consideration the age of the house, visual signs of deterioration, visual signs or evidence with other nearby houses within the estate, test results incorporating the presence of minerals, cement content, compressive strength of the blocks and so forth.
This approach, which will be reviewed as further knowledge and expertise is developed, is being implemented and applications are now being dealt with accordingly.
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