Positive moves on Cork tenant-in-situ scheme

Cork City Council should be able to acquire all properties it has made commitments on under the tenant-in-situ scheme, Labour TD Eoghan Kenny was told at a recent Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting.

Speaking to staff of the Department of Housing, Mr Kenny asked if the tenant-in-situ scheme was still operational and was told it was.

Paul Benson, acting assistant secretary, said he had been engaging with Cork City Council directly on the issue.

“There is a process going on with Cork city to work through the commitments it has, what it carried forward from 2024, and how it will continue the scheme in 2025. I am confident we are going to get to a satisfactory solution there.”

Mr Kenny asked if additional funding would be made available to allow the council to honour its existing commitments. Mr Benson said the council had been asked “to carry out two or three exercises that will create headroom within its allocation to allow it to proceed with further acquisitions”.

Reclassified

He said quite a number of properties the council has acquired can be reclassified in the case of the allocations committed to which the council has said it has insufficient funding for now.

“The council was given a commitment that it should proceed with those acquisitions. If the council needs extra funding, that may be available because the department has held back continuously. But we have to complete the exercise first and see exactly what the financial commitment will be when the exercise is finished,” said Mr Benson.

“The department’s position is clear. The council is authorised and has permission to go ahead and acquire those properties … I spoke to the director of housing in Cork city only last week and, when the council concludes that process, it will find that it is in a position to conclude those purchases.”

Positive

Speaking to The Echo Mr Kenny described the interaction as “positive”.

“It is positive to hear that engagement has taken place between the department and Cork City Council. It’s important to commend the efforts of the CEO on standing up for the tenant-in-situ scheme in our city.

“When commitments are made to purchase homes, they must be followed through. Government needs to support the tenant-in-situ scheme to ensure it keeps families out of homelessness. 

"I will be following up with my Labour colleagues on Cork City Council to make sure the purchasing of those homes are followed through on.”

However, this comes as Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould recently told The Echo that he had spoken with multiple people whose homes had been at sale agreed under the scheme and are now living in emergency accommodation.