Fianna Fáil TD for Cavan and Monaghan, Brendan Smith has welcomed new changes to the Tenant Purchase Scheme which have been introduced by the Housing Minister and will come into effect from the 1st February.
Deputy Brendan Smith commented, “A very welcome change is the decision to enable pensioners to purchase their own council home. The level of income tenants will require to be eligible will be reduced from €15,000 to €12,500.
“Prior to this decision, persons whose principal income is a pension payment were not able to avail of the Tenant Purchase Scheme and I had consistently raised through Parliamentary Questions in Dáil Éireann the need to amend this Scheme.”
The Cavan and Monaghan TD continued: “I have a number of cases throughout the constituency where families have been tenants of council houses for upwards of 30 years or more and were unable to purchase their own home.
“The Programme for Government commits to maintaining the right of social housing tenants to purchase their own home. The Fianna Fáil party has placed home ownership at the heart of Housing for All, our long-term housing policy to 2030. Minister Darragh O’Brien has also committed to a number of other reforms of the social housing system.
Deputy Brendan Smith concluded: “These changes will be progressed by amending the Housing (Sale of Local Authority Houses) Regulations 2015. I know that many individuals and families throughout Cavan and Monaghan will welcome the Minister’s decision to considerably improve the existing Tenants Purchase Scheme.”
ENDS
11/01/2022