McAuliffe says “time to end our reliance on HAP and expand the tenant in situ scheme”

Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin North West and vice chair of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Paul McAuliffe TD, has called for the tenant in situ scheme to be expanded to allow the state to make an offer to buy any home that is currently being rented through the Housing Assistance Payment Scheme.

The tenant in situ scheme currently allows a local authority to purchase a home which is being rented by a social housing applicant who is at risk of homelessness due to their landlord selling the property.

This allows the tenant to remain in their home and become a local authority tenant.

With record corporation tax receipts, the state will be seeking for long-term investments and assets purchases which will not further increase inflationary pressure or increase spending in an unsustainable way.

An expansion of the scheme, that would allow the state to make an offer on any home that is currently being rented through HAP or RAS, would allow local authorities to build up their housing stock, provides lifelong reassurance for the tenant and makes it easier to sell for the landlord.

‘The tenant in situ scheme is very effective at preventing homelessness and Minister O’Brien has been very proactive in encouraging Local Authorities to implement it where possible.

“However, now it the time for its expansion to allow the state to make an offer to buy any home that is being rented through HAP or RAS. In the long term this will be more cost effective as the state is currently spending close to €1 billion per annum on HAP, Rent Supplement and RAS.

“This measure will build up local authority housing stock at a time when the state has a budget surplus.”