Limerick council unable to buy homes to prevent homelessness

COUNCIL is not able to buy houses to prevent its tenants from becoming homeless due to a delay from the new Government.

The Tenant in Situ scheme allows a landlord who may be selling a property the opportunity to allow council to buy it in order to keep the occupier from being made homeless.

This is as long as they are a council tenant.

But senior executive officer in housing Sarah Newell told members of the metropolitan district that the local authority has a number of houses which are ready to buy, but they cannot, due to Government not providing funding allocations for 2025.

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The matter was initially raised by Independent councillor Ursula Gavan, who has said the delay has seen landlords run out of patience and instead sell their homes on the private market.

“I know of one local constituent, whose landlord recently pulled out of the scheme due to the delays. She is very distressed as her eviction is imminent. She has a son with special needs and she herself is recovering from a serious illness. She has sold off her household furniture as she has no place to go and no means of storing them anywhere,” she said.

Ms Newell said council is engaging regularly with the Department and has “outlined the emergency” in providing funding to them.