Thursday, 17th February 2022

The Irish Architecture Foundation (IAF) and The Housing Agency have today (17.02.22) announced details of a competition that is looking for innovative ideas to improve Ireland’s housing sector. Called ‘Housing Unlocked’, the initiative is calling for architects, together with people from a variety of disciplines and members of the public with a common interest in housing, to team up and submit ideas to solve housing issues in Ireland’s cities, towns and villages.

Entries are open from today, with practical ideas and creative thinking being sought in the areas of density, construction technologies, social inclusion, environmental and other issues. A jury of high-profile judges will select eight submissions which will receive funding of €7,500 to develop their proposals into an exhibition piece. The exhibition will be open to the public in September this year.

Nathalie Weadick, Director of the IAF, said: “The aim of the competition is to encourage collaboration amongst housing experts and those with an interest and passion for creating inclusive communities to develop practical ideas to address challenges in housing. This is an ambitious and positive project asking for those working on the ground on housing to help progress some of the issues facing urban housing in Ireland. Public contributions at recent IAF debates have shown that there has never been a better time for design to rethink how we can deliver homes for sustainable communities in urban areas. ‘Housing Unlocked’ is driven by the need to apply innovation and expertise, not just to the final product, but to the entire system that delivers homes in towns, cities and villages. A simple idea can produce a powerful effect.”

Bob Jordan, CEO of The Housing Agency, said: “The Housing Agency is looking forward to being part of this project. We are seeking innovative and practical solutions that address the housing issues in Ireland. We are asking applicants to share practical solutions to the everyday issues that they are facing when it comes to delivering homes. We would like to invite architects, in collaboration with all those who are interested, to apply for the opportunity to be featured in the public exhibition later in the year.”

All submissions must be made through an online form on the ‘Housing Unlocked’ website at housingunlocked.ie, where further information is available. Entrants must include at least one registered architect. The closing date is midnight on 24th April 2022.

Contact: Maisie Lynch / Sorcha McMahon, Alice PR & Events, Tel: 086-8966298 / 087-7585337 / Email: media@alicepr.com

Notes to the Editor:

Images High-res images from the ‘Housing Unlocked’ launch photocall are available to download here.

About The Housing Agency

The Housing Agency is a Government body working with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, local authorities and approved housing bodies in the delivery of housing and housing services.

Its mission is to promote the supply of housing to meet current and future needs and demand by being a centre of expert knowledge on housing, supporting housing policy development and implementing effective housing programmes in collaboration with key stakeholders. For more information visit housingunlocked.ie

Follow The Housing Agency on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About the IAF

Established in 2005, the IAF is an independent organisation dedicated to the promotion of architecture as culture. The IAF seeks to champion the power of architecture to transform lives and improve the places where we live, learn, work and play. For further information on the IAF, visit: architecturefoundation.ie

As you will be aware the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA) was established on the 1st February 2021 and all AHBs are deemed to be registered with AHBRA from 1 January 2022. The interim Regulatory Committee was dissolved on 31st December 2021 and as such, the Voluntary Regulation Code no longer applies. The most recent assessment cycle in 2021 was the last to be carried out by the Regulation Office. The Housing Agency wish to acknowledge those AHBs who have signed up to and engaged with Voluntary Regulation over the past number of years. You have demonstrated great commitment to meeting the Voluntary Regulation Code and Standards and provided support and co-operation to the Regulation Office in the operation of its duties. You should now be well placed to make the transition to statutory regulation.

If you have any queries relating to Statutory Regulation you should refer these to the AHBRA at info@ahbregulator.ie.

The website is available here. 

The Programme for Government sets out a number of commitments in respect of the important policy area of building defects and provides for an examination of defects in housing, having regard to the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing report, "Safe as Houses?".

In this context, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, TD, has established a Working Group to Examine Defects in Housing.

To date, the Working Group has been engaging with key stakeholders and stakeholder representative groups. Using an online survey, it is now seeking the experiences of:

• Homeowners (both current and former)
• Landlords (including private investor/owner, institutional/commercial, Approved Housing Body, Local Authority etc.)
• Directors of Owners’ Management Companies (OMCs)
• Property Management Agents

The Working Group is asking people to provide information on their experiences of defects relating to fire safety, structural safety and water ingress in purpose-built apartment and duplex buildings constructed in Ireland between 1991 and 2013.

Information is sought from people regardless of whether such defects in those properties are currently known, unknown or where no such defects have arisen. The surveys, an explanation on how the survey responses will be used by the Working Group, the Working Group membership, its terms of reference, and a privacy statement relating to the surveys can all be accessed on the Government of Ireland Website.

The surveys will run for six weeks from Monday 31 January 2022 to 5pm on Monday 14 March 2022.

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On the 21st of July, the Affordable Housing Act 2021 was signed into law. It is the first standalone affordable housing legislation in Ireland and introduced a variety of measures to make homeownership more affordable for buyers. It also introduced cost-rental, a new form of tenure in Ireland that will provide secure, long-term rental properties at below-market rates.

In September 2021, "Housing for All - A New Housing Plan for Ireland" was unveiled. Under this plan Pathway 1 commits to increasing affordability using a range of mechanisms. These include a Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme, Project Tosaigh, and the expansion of Part V. The Housing Agency has the expertise in house to assist with these new initiatives, including our Local Authority Services Unit, the Affordable Housing Unit, and the Procurement and Delivery Unit.

To find out more about affordability, new initiatives and schemes, and the Housing Agency supports available you can read the article in full here.

The Housing Agency’s Statement of Strategy, 2022-2024 was launched yesterday by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD.

The Statement of Strategy outlines how more affordable housing, increasing the supply of social and private homes and addressing social inclusion issues such as homelessness and ageing will be the priorities for the work of The Housing Agency over the next three years.

The Statement of Strategy frames the work of The Housing Agency under three broad themes:

1. Being a centre for housing knowledge;
2. Bridging housing supply and demand; and
3. Building capacity for housing

It outlines how, over the coming years, The Housing Agency will use research, informed policy insights and data to work to achieve a housing system that meets the housing needs of our nation and promotes viable, sustainable communities.

The Housing Agency’s Strategic Plan 2022-2024 has been framed in the context of supporting Housing for All, the Government’s housing plan for Ireland and key trends in the housing system including:

• Diverse and changing housing needs for people living in Ireland.
• Long-term government policy and strategic planning for the Irish housing system.
• A continuing focus on building inclusive, sustainable communities.

The Housing Agency’s Statement of Strategy, 2022-2024 can be read HERE 

An executive summary of the Statement of Strategy can be read HERE 

A list of actions The Housing Agency will provide input under Housing for All can be read HERE 

A recording of the session can be found HERE

The slides of the session can be found HERE

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, TD, today announced a number of significant improvements to the ‘Mortgage to Rent’ (MTR) scheme for people who have borrowed from commercial private lending institutions and who are at risk of losing their homes due to mortgage arrears. The changes will result in more people being able to benefit from the scheme, which has been amended to reflect current housing market conditions and most up-to-date research on those in long term mortgage arrears.

The MTR scheme offers households in acute, unsustainable mortgage arrears situations, with little or no prospect of a significant change in circumstances, the chance to surrender a property to a lender and in turn become a social housing tenant whilst staying in their own home and community. As part of the scheme, the home will be brought up to private rental standards.   

The key changes, which will apply from 14th February 2022, are:

• an increase to the positive equity limit, which is being adjusted by region to align it with the range of house prices and market conditions across the regions
• purchase price thresholds updated to take account of current market conditions
• additional flexibility in the number of allowable bedrooms in a dwelling – this will apply for borrowers aged 65 and above, and borrowers who have a disability, or where a dependant has a disability.

The changes announced today follow a review of the MTR scheme by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. A strengthened MTR scheme was a commitment in both the Programme for Government and in Housing for All, the Government’s national plan on housing to 2030. Housing for All commits to strengthening the scheme to ensure that it is helping those that need it, with delivery of an average of 1,000 solutions every year. In 2021, 678 borrowers availed of the scheme, more than three times the amount of borrowers (196) who availed of the scheme in 2019.

Announcing the changes at an event in Dublin held with iCare Housing, one of the non-profit Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) who participate in the MTR scheme, Minister O’Brien said:

“These changes will make life easier for many households in mortgage distress. For someone in mortgage arrears to lose their home is hugely difficult and stressful. Mortgage to Rent provides a solution to a complex problem by giving a person or family the option of remaining in their own home despite acute mortgage difficulties.

“It is the Government’s objective to keep people in their homes where it is sustainable and the Mortgage to Rent scheme supports that objective. Today’s changes position the scheme to provide a solution for 1,000 families per year from 2022, approximately 50% more than the number of completed cases in 2021, and towards a trebling of the number in 2020.

“It’s clear that there is continued demand for the scheme and I will keep the impact of these new changes under review and make future improvements if necessary. Ultimately we want the use of this scheme to be a long-term sustainable solution for the families and individuals for whom it is designed to assist.”

Speaking at the announcement, iCare Housing CEO David Hall said:

“The Government changes to the Mortgage to Rent scheme are good news for those in mortgage difficulties throughout the country. As an Approved Housing Body helping people with acute and unsustainable mortgage arrears to start afresh, we’re pleased to see scheme changes that will give more people a chance to stop the clock on financial stress, strain and uncertainty about the future and secure their housing situation. I’ve no doubt that these changes will give more families to chance to start again whilst staying in their own homes and communities.”

From the MTR scheme’s introduction in 2012 to the end of 2021, 1,682 families have remained in their home due to the scheme. A total of 5,012 individuals (2,738 adults and 2,274 children) are benefiting from the scheme. A further 720 cases are actively being progressed. In 2019, 196 families benefited from the scheme with a further 363 families benefiting in 2020. In 2021, the number had increased to 678.

Further information on the scheme is available from: www.mortgagetorent.ie

The most recent Mortgage to Rent Statistics can be accessed here

The review of the MTR is available at: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/ed57b-2021-review-of-the-mortgage-to-rent-scheme-for-borrowers-of-commercial-private-lending-institutions/

Notes for Editors

MTR scheme

• The MTR Scheme for borrowers of private commercial lending institutions was developed as part of the implementation of the recommendations of the Keane Report on Mortgage Arrears in 2011. It is one part of a concerted effort across the whole of Government to tackle the mortgage arrears crisis.
• MTR targets the most acute mortgage arrears cases where a situation is unsustainable and where there is little or no prospect of a significant change in the householder’s circumstances in the foreseeable future. The scheme’s concept is that a household with an unsustainable mortgage goes from being a homeowner to being a social housing tenant. The borrower surrenders their property to their lender who sells it to a MTR provider which can be either an AHB or since 2018 a private company. The AHB or local authority (in the case where the property is sold to a private company) becomes the landlord and the tenant remains in the property paying a differential rent to the landlord based on his or her income. 

Key changes to the MTR scheme:

The key changes to the scheme that will apply from 14 February 2022 are:

• The scheme is to be amended to allow flexibility where the household concerned has more than two spare bedrooms in the following circumstances:
  • the borrower or one of the joint borrowers is aged 65 and over
  • the borrower, one of the joint borrowers or one of the borrower’s dependents has a disability and the property has been significantly and permanently adapted to their needs*
  • the borrower, one of the joint borrowers or one of the borrower’s dependents has a disability and the property is specifically suitable to their need without adaptations*

*The household must also qualify for Social Housing Support on Disability, Medical or Compassionate grounds in line with the local authority’s allocation policy.

• The current purchase price thresholds were last reviewed and updated in July 2019. Taking account of current market conditions and the recent research by the Central Bank, the thresholds have now been reviewed and are included in the table below. The price thresholds are divided into two categories: (i) Higher Threshold Areas (Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Louth, Meath and Wicklow) and (ii) Normal Threshold Areas (the rest of the country). It is important to note that these are thresholds for eligibility to the scheme but actual acquisition costs are agreed between the lender and MTR provider and cannot exceed these limits. The Department will keep these limits under review.

• New positive equity limits will be introduced. These are differentiated across three regions of the country. Currently, a positive equity limit of 10% of the Open Market Value, up to a maximum of €15,000, is allowed. This limit applies nationally and does not take into account the location of the property.  A new regional approach that takes into account the location of the property will now apply as follows:

MTR and additional scheme information

• As the households applying for MTR will have been in a position of financial hardship, possibly for a number of years, prior to applying for the scheme they may not have had the means to carry out necessary repairs to the property. MTR providers, both AHB and non-AHB, are obliged to undertake the necessary remedial or refurbishment works to bring the properties that they acquire under the scheme up to statutory private rental standards.
• The household must be eligible for social housing and the property must meet the appropriate standards for social housing. Householders are able to buy back the property after a period of 5 years or earlier with the agreement of the AHB or the private company concerned. 

Review of existing Scheme

• The Programme for Government and Housing for All committed to strengthening the MTR scheme and ensuring that it is helping those who need it.
• Building on the significant amendments already made to the scheme in 2017, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage conducted a review and examined the impact of these changes and what further amendments would benefit those in need of the scheme.
• This review concluded that the implementation of the 2017 Review actions has enabled the scheme to begin operating at scale and this is clearly evidenced by the increasing numbers of both MTR applications and successfully completed cases. While the scheme is performing well, the Department determined that some further enhancements are required to allow more households, who are in need of State support with their long-term housing needs, avail of this scheme.
• Housing for All, the Government’s national plan on housing to 2030 states: Strengthen the Mortgage to Rent (MTR) Scheme to ensure it supports those who need it (Q4 2021)

The vision for The Housing Agency's Strategy 2022-2024 is to achieve an integrated housing system, meeting the nation’s housing needs and promoting sustainable communities.

Darragh O'Brien, TD, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage will launch The Housing Agency Strategy 2022-2024 on Thursday the 27th of January at 11:15am online via Zoom. Also contributing to the event:

• Mr. Michael Carey, Chairperson, Housing Agency
• Mr. Bob Jordan, CEO, The Housing Agency
• Ms. Áine Stapleton, Assistant Secretary, Department for Housing, Local Government and Heritage

Register for the launch at this link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4oH5G-ALT42zmIE2aEMX_A

• Strategy clearly sets out Government’s vision for the delivery of housing and related support services for disabled people over the next five years
• New strategy places a greater emphasis on facilitating independent living and being included in the community

Friday 14 January 2021

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD; the Minister of State for Planning and Local Government, Peter Burke TD; and Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, Anne Rabbitte TD, today (Friday 14 January 2022) launched the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022 - 2027. The Strategy sets out the Government’s vision for delivering housing and related supports for disabled people and has been developed by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Department of Health and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. It replaces the National Housing Strategy for People with a Disability 2011 – 2016 (extended to 2021).

The new strategy places a greater emphasis on independent living and community inclusion than the previous strategy. Implementation of the plan will be based on the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Government has revised the structures that oversee and implement the strategy to make the delivery of housing and related supports for disabled people more effective and appropriate to their needs.

Developed under the guiding principles of Housing for All, the Government’s national plan for housing to 2030, the strategy seeks to facilitate disabled people to live independently with the appropriate choices and control over where, how and with whom they live. The Strategy places an emphasis on disabled people having choice and control over their living arrangements. It demonstrates the Government’s commitment to providing equal access to housing for all.

Providing more equal access to housing for disabled people with integrated support services promotes their inclusion in the community, fulfilling a key Housing for All commitment. A key element is a focus on co-ordinating provision of housing for disabled people with the social supports provided through HSE-funded disability services. The National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022 – 2027 is the result of a comprehensive 8-month, two phase consultation process and is laid out across six themes, each detailing desired outcomes to deliver the overall vision set out in the plan:

• Accessible Housing and Communities
• Interagency Collaboration and the Provision of Supports
• Communication and Access to Information
• Knowledge, Capacity, and Expertise
• Strategy Alignment

Work has now begun on the very important Implementation Plan for the Strategy. The Housing Agency will oversee this work. The Implementation Plan will be published by the end of quarter 2, 2022 detailing how outcomes will be achieved.

Commenting, Minister O’Brien said:

“This new National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022-2027 sets out our joint vision for the delivery of housing and support services for the next five years. The overall aim of the overarching Housing for All plan is that everyone in the State should have access to a home to purchase or rent at an affordable price, built to a high standard and in the right place, offering a high quality of life. This strategy underlines the Government’s vision.

“Importantly, Housing and Disability Steering Groups’ will continue to have a key role as the forum for delivery of the strategy’s outcomes at local level. These Steering Groups have been established in each local authority area and this Strategy maps out the pathway for them to refresh and renew their role and focus with disabled people at the centre. I have no doubt this will lead to a more integrated and strategic response to the needs of people with a disability at local level.”
“I look forward to working collaboratively with my Government colleagues and delivery partners across the sector in making the vision of this Strategy a reality.”

Also commenting on the Strategy, Minister Burke stated:

“The preparation of this new National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022-2027 has been led by the lived experience of people with a disability and those supporting them. Drawing on the knowledge and insight of individuals who experience disability, their representative groups and those who work to provide services, the strategy contains a vision to bring about practical and lasting change. I hope that this change will make a compelling difference to housing and accommodation provision for people with a disability across our country.

“I want to acknowledge the key role that local authorities have played. As housing authorities, their role is pivotal in ensuring that the Strategy is implemented at local level where it matters most for the citizen.

“Our goal is for Ireland to be a better place for disabled people to live in, to access the right kind of housing or accommodation, a place where those with a disability have choices and play a central role in relation to matters and decisions that affect their lives. It should be a country where every disabled person is supported to live independently, participate fully in our society, and enjoy a quality of life on a par with the rest of the population. This Strategy sets our course for housing to play its part in achieving that.”

Welcoming the Strategy, Minister Rabbitte said:

“I warmly welcome the publication of the new National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022-2027. This Government’s philosophy is ‘Housing for All’, which means that our housing provision must be inclusive of people with disabilities. I am particularly pleased to see the important emphasis on Universal Design in this Strategy.

“I am delighted that this Strategy has very much been informed by the input of disabled people who took part in the public consultation process, and I want to thank the Housing Agency for facilitating their involvement.

“A central tenet of this Housing Strategy for People with Disabilities is to coordinate and align housing provision with the delivery of health and social care supports. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Government, and with the HSE to drive forward the practical implementation of this approach.

“The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is a key framework for how we support disabled people in Ireland and is central to how government has approached this Strategy. I believe this Strategy helps progress our commitment under the UNCRPD to facilitate disabled people to live independently and as part of the community.”

The National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022 – 2027 can be viewed on the Publications section of our website

View the Documents                            

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

• The Strategy is being launched by Ministers O’Brien, Burke and Rabbitte at a meeting with stakeholders, hosted by the Housing Agency, on Friday January 14th.
• For interview requests with the three Ministers and Disability stakeholders with lived experience please contact the Dept of Housing, Local Government and Heritage press office for details.
• For technical briefing on Strategy with Department officials please contact the press office.
• The National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022 – 2027 is being published by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH) with the Department of Health (DoH) and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY).
• The National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022 – 2027 uses the term “disability” in reference to four categories of disability, i.e., sensory disability, mental health difficulties, physical disability and intellectual disability. Psychosocial disabilities are also included when referring to mental health difficulties as this is in line with the social model of language.
• During the first year of the new Strategy, the process of working to strengthen the existing information of the housing needs within each category will commence. This will allow for the proper strategic planning that is required to increase delivery of housing with related supports for disabled people. This will also be inclusive of disabled people that do not identify with one of the specific categories above, such as those with a dual diagnosis or Autism.

Overview of Themes

A comprehensive eight-month consultation period identified the areas that needed to be addressed to deliver the vision of the Strategy. These areas are set out as themes. Each theme has desired outcomes that, when delivered, will contribute to the overall vision.

Theme 1 – Accessible Housing and Communities

This theme focuses on the provision of accessible housing for disabled people, the promotion of accessible communities and universally designed homes. It is informed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and, in particular, “Article 19 - Living independently and being included in the community” and “Article 9 – Accessibility” which aims “to enable disabled people to live independently …and ensure disabled people have access, on an equal basis with others, to the physical environment.”

Theme 2 – Interagency Collaboration and the Provision of Supports

This theme includes outcomes relating to the improvement of effective collaboration between local authorities and the HSE, better inter-departmental cooperation, aligning housing and support services and the sharing of relevant information between agencies. This theme seeks to build on the work that has already been done during the NHSPWD 2011 to 2016 (extended to 2021) by strengthening the existing structures and by improving collaboration between all relevant agencies.

Theme 3 – Affordability of Housing

This theme focuses on enabling access to affordable housing for disabled people. In keeping with Housing for All and, in particular, “Pathway 1 - Supporting Home Ownership and Increasing Affordability”, it is important that disabled people are included in the provision of affordable housing. This theme examines these issues and addresses the challenges disabled people may experience living in the private sector, in terms of home ownership and private renting.

Theme 4 – Communication and Access to Information

This theme focuses on communication and access to information. The Strategy will continue to build on the information accessibility achievements of the previous Strategy such as the Housing Options documents, the Easy-to-Read Guide to Completing the Social Housing Application Form and the Moving in Checklist. The Strategy is cognisant of the fact that communication is a two-way process. The Strategy will aim to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged in communicating their needs and in the communication they receive. This includes providing information in a range of accessible formats and using the various channels of communications disabled people prefer, while ensuring that adequate time and accessibility is made available to enable people to engage with local authorities and relevant agencies.

Theme 5 - Knowledge, Capacity, and Expertise

This theme puts forward measures to increase awareness and understanding of disability and housing within the relevant organisations 4. It also places an emphasis on increasing awareness regarding disabled people’s effective participation and inclusion in their communities. It includes outcomes relating to the building of knowledge and expertise within the housing sector on disability and building of knowledge and expertise within the health and social care sector on housing. It also acknowledges areas where cross-agency training is necessary, for example, the introduction and application of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015.5

Theme 6 – Strategy Alignment

This theme places a focus on ensuring that all Government strategies and policies from a housing perspective promote the rights of disabled people, in line with the UNCRPD. This will ensure that the new National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022 – 2027 complements and supports other strategies related to disability, such as the ‘Sharing the Vision’ and the ‘Time to Move on From Congregated Settings Strategy’ for de-congregation, and the work, in line with the Programme for Government commitment, to make progress on the need for housing with relevant supports identified in the Disability Capacity Review to 2032. This theme will also place a focus on aligning other strategies and policies, such as Housing for All, and the new Local Delivery Action Plans established under its framework, and the Public Sector Duty.

Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage Press Office

Tel: (01) 888 2638 (direct)

Email: press@housing.gov.ie

Website: gov.ie/housing

Twitter: @DeptHousingIRL

The Housing Agency and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage have issued a notification to stakeholders regarding the Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Fund.

The Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Fund aims to activate the delivery of apartments in high-demand areas in our cities for sale to individual purchasers. The first step to achieving this is to ensure that apartment developments with planning permissions in place are built and occupied. The Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Fund will provide funding to developers to help realise this vision.

The notice contains key dates and important criteria to note for potential applicants to the new scheme.

Key Dates:

• In late January 2022, the Housing Agency will be issuing a Call for Proposals to developers for suitable apartment developments.
• Suitable proposals will be required to start on site as soon as possible to deliver apartments for sale no later than 2025.

Criteria:

• The Agency will be seeking proposals in city areas in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford.
• Full grant of planning approval must be in place by 31st January 2022.
• Apartment blocks included in proposals must be at least 4 storeys high.
• Proposal can include entire schemes or portions / phases.
• Apartment blocks must not have started construction at the time of submission. If the apartment blocks form part of a larger scheme, the other portions of the scheme may have commenced or been completed.

More information will be posted on The Housing Agency’s and the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage’s social media and websites in early 2022.

Housing Europe, a Brussels-based think tank has published a report for the Housing Agency on cost rental case studies in Austria, Denmark and Finland. Each of these three countries has large-scale cost rental social housing schemes. This report outlines how rent setting and financing takes place in each of the three countries.

This report is intended to help inform the on-going development and upscaling of this new affordable housing option in Ireland, as well as provide a template for other countries or regions who may wish to develop their own cost-based social rental sector. The report highlights rents which can be achieved through cost rental. For example, the rent paid by a new social tenant in new cost rental housing in Denmark is 28% lower than in the private sector. In Helsinki in Finland rents in the private sector are 62% higher than cost rental rents (per square metre) and in Austria the rent in cost rental homes is 23% below the average in the private sector.

The report notes that in order for the cost rental model to have the intended effect of reducing rents and increasing affordability, it needs to be large-scale, properly planned and long-term.

Social housing in Ireland was traditionally offered as an "income-based" approach to rent setting. However, the Irish Government has introduced cost rental, a new form of tenure into Ireland. It has committed to delivering 2,000 new cost rental homes in Ireland each year with rents expected to be at least 25% below market level. The first development of this type was delivered in Taylor Hill in Balbriggan in July 2020.

To read the report in full please follow this link.