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Tenants may get option to
buy homes
18.01.08
TENANTS of social
housing who rent their homes from organisations like
St Vincent de Paul may soon be able to purchase
their properties, a local T.D., has revealed.
Currently tenants in social housing cannot buy their
homes unlike tenants of local authority housing.
But Deputy Niall Blaney said he had been informed by
the Environment Minister John Gormely that his
department is "actively pursuing" ways to facilitate
home ownership from social housing. |
“I have been in
discussions with Minister Gormely on this issue for
some months and I am delighted to learn that serious
consideration is now being given to changing the
approach in this regard," said Deputy Blaney.
“I would like to see a situation whereby people
living in social housing would be in a position to
purchase |
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their homes if they
wished.”
The Donegal North East Fianna Fáil deputy said
people needed that option in order to "feel at home"
in social housing.
“This would act as an incentive for the residents to
invest in the area and in their community. If they
feel that their time there is transitory, it is hard
to settle down properly.
“Minister Gormely said that it is planned to
initiate a pilot tenant purchase scheme for tenants
of some new voluntary and co-operative houses in
2008 and the modalities of such a scheme, including
any legislative requirements, are being looked into
at present," added Deputy Blaney.
He said the situation regarding tenants of existing
housing stock would be examined further in light of
the outcome of ongoing discussions with the
voluntary and co-operative sector. |
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