Tipperary County Council to buy HAP houses from landlords

Tipperary County Council is purchasing properties currently leased to HAP tenants where the landlord is selling.

A spokesperson for the council told the Tipperary Star that the sale of two properties has been agreed upon, and a number of others are ‘under consideration.’

Tipperary County Council says recent, Notices to Quit (NTQ) have increased significantly, leaving tenants in a precarious position.

They say many of the Notices to Quit are landlords selling their properties while others intend to use them for family.

Buying the homes for sale means HAP tenants become local authority tenants providing security to families and people at risk of homelessness.

NOTICES TO QUIT
Tipperary County Council also told the Tipperary Star that 51 NTQs had been issued to HAP tenants in the year to date. In a second response, they said 118 NTQs have been issued in 2022. We contacted Tipperary County Council for clarification, however none was available at time of printing.

The Municipal District (MD) with the most NQTs is Nenagh, followed closely by Cashel-Tipperary. The least NTQs were issued in Carrick-on-Suir.

Tipperary County Council is currently dealing with 23 live cases.

CONTROVERSY
In recent weeks Tipperary County Council has come under fire for changing its procedure for dealing with clients who face Notices to Quit.

The new procedure may mean some tenants have their emergency accommodation removed if they refuse a unit, even if it’s outside their area.

NEW RULES
The new procedure says those issued with Notices to Quit can now contact Tipperary County Council immediately and be assigned a HAP Placefinder (HPF).

The HPF advises the tenant on supports and steps they need to take.

The tenant will then meet with the HPF after two months and, after that, every two weeks to monitor progress and discuss any reasons for refusal.

Tenants can also use the Choice-Based Letting service, but if no options are available in their area, they will need to look elsewhere.

The Choice Based Letting system is an online platform where available local authority units are listed and those on the housing list can express an interest by bidding.

Tipperary County Council then assign the home to the applicant most in need.

If a place is unavailable after six months, the tenant will be placed in emergency accommodation.

However, emergency accommodation will be removed if a tenant refuses an offer even outside of their preferred area.

Tipperary County Council says ‘accommodation provision has to be prioritised’ even outside the area of choice.

The new procedure is to ‘reduce or avert’ the need for emergency accommodation.

According to the Homelessness Report issued last week by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, 56 adults were in emergency accommodation in July in Tipperary.

There were 61 in June and 63 people in emergency accommodation in May.

RESPONSE
Councillor Seamus Morris has called the changes’ shocking’ and criticised the council for not discussing the procedure at a recent meeting on housing.

He said for some families moving outside of their area is impractical, and the new procedure blames the tenant, not the housing crisis.

“I will not stand over people who refuse housing out of their area of choice as quite a lot of people have no access to transport to get their children into schools they are settled in.

“The CBL system is not working as there are not enough houses on it for the amount of people looking for social housing,” said Cllr Morris. Cllr Morris says he advocates for the use of modular housing as has been used in Co Laois.

LOCKED OUT
Cllr Morris’s comments on the Choice Based Letting system are significant because finding a HAP property is harder than just finding a place to live.

HAP tenancies are subject to maximum monthly rent rates.

So, the total monthly rent must be below a certain amount per month, depending on the household size and the unit's location. For example, the current maximum rent for a couple or one adult with three children in Tipperary is €600 a month.
For a single adult, it is €380 a month.

Local authorities do have some flexibility. As of July 11, local authorities can approve a HAP tenancy 35% higher than the maximum monthly rent.

However, according to the most recent Daft.ie Rental Price Report for quarter two of 2022, the average rent in Tipperary stands at €1,089 per month.

This exceeds the highest HAP maximum, even accounting for the 35% flexibility increase.

RENTAL PRICE REPORT
The most recent Daft. ie. report details the average monthly rent per property type in Tipperary.

Based on the current HAP limits plus the 35% flexibility rate, that couple or adult with three children (€810-HAP limit) would not be able to rent the average two-bedroom house at €838.

The average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment was €732.

At the time of writing, there were 15 properties for rent in Tipperary, according to Daft.ie.

SUPPORT
Tipperary County Council say tenants must go where the vacancies are.

They say support is available for those experiencing homelessness, like the National Childcare Scheme.

Tipperary County Council says they will provide support for a Notice to Quit.

Some notices, they say, are not legitimate, or the correct notice period has not been given. Tipperary County Council says the HPF can help the tenant to find this out if they contact them as early as possible.