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Applying to your local authority for social housing support
From Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
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Local authorities provide social housing support for people who cannot afford to buy their own homes.
Completed applications for social housing support are assessed by your local authority in accordance with the current criteria based on the following:
- an income threshold, i.e. your income must not exceed certain limits - these limits will depend on the housing authority and the size of the household
- having a long term right to reside in Ireland
- whether you have alternative accommodation available to you which could meet your housing need
- whether you have rent arrears from a previous tenancy and the arrangements in place to repay these arrears
Your assessment will also take account of the size of your household, the type and condition of your current accommodation and any special circumstances such as disability, age and medical circumstances.
If you are a Non-Irish national seeking support you must also meet the provisions of Circular 41/2012.
If you are qualified you will be placed on the authority’s housing waiting list or the record of qualified households.
Each local authority draws up its own rules for deciding the order of priority on the waiting list (an “Allocation Scheme”).
You can get a copy of this scheme from your local authority.
You may refuse a reasonable offer of accommodation in any 12-month period without affecting your place on the waiting list.
If you refuse two reasonable offers in a 12-month period, you will however, be suspended on the waiting list for 12 months, during which time you will not accumulate any time on the list.
To apply for social housing support, including support from an approved housing body, you should contact your relevant local authority who can provide you with an application form for completion.
Social Housing applicants and applicants for the Rebuilding Ireland Home Loan should note that in light of the Covid-19 emergency, a temporary alternate arrangement has been put in place that will remove the need for them to have to obtain a physically completed HPL1 form from Revenue, either in person, by post, or by Revenue’s online systems ROS/MyAccount.
Instead, you can ask the local authority to go through an electronic process to obtain the information from the Revenue Commissioners. Persons who wish to avail of this option should contact their local authority and request that the relevant HPL1 information be obtained on their behalf by the local authority.
