Vast majority of people on Cork city housing list seeking smaller homes

More than 87% of the 5,000 people on Cork City Council's social housing list are seeking a one or two-bed property, which is preventing the council from facilitating people who want to downsize to a smaller home.

Social Democrats councillor Niamh O’Connor put forward a motion at the most recent council meeting calling on the council to allow council tenants wishing to downsize to bid on any property smaller than their current property, with a view to making more large family homes available for occupation.

Martina Broderick, the council’s acting director of housing, said that tenants can apply for a transfer on the basis of right-sizing’.

There are currently more than 370 families, both transfer tenants and applicants, who require four-bedroomed properties and “a very limited supply of this property type”, she said.

However, these numbers pale in comparison to the number of people looking for smaller properties.

Transfer applications 

Currently there are 276 transfer applications for people looking for one-bed properties, 218 for two-bed, 220 for three-bed, and 196 for four-beds.

In addition to these transfer application numbers, there are more than 3,000 applicants on the social housing list who require a one-bed and more than 1,300 who require a two-bed property. 

That means some 87% of the around 5,000 people on the social housing list, excluding transfer tenants, therefore require a one or two-bedroomed property, compared with just 10% of applicants who require a three-bed home.

Ms Broderick said: “With the current demand profile, there is very little benefit in allocating a one or two-bedroomed property to tenants who are returning a three-bedroomed property for general allocation.

“Each one or two-bedroomed property allocated to a transfer applicant is one less property available to an applicant who may be living in overcrowded circumstances, experiencing hardship renting in the private sector or even living in emergency accommodation.”

Appropriate housing

She added that if a tenant is seeking to move to a development reserved for older persons, this provides an opportunity to free up larger homes within current stock while also providing older tenants with more appropriate housing.

Ms O’Connor told The Echo that the response illustrates “just how catastrophic this housing crisis is”.

It comes as Cork Simon have repeatedly raised the need for smaller properties.

Last year Simon highlighted that there are twice as many one and two-person households in Cork city as there are one and two-bed homes, making this group overrepresented in emergency accommodation, as there are no suitable homes for them.