The Mortgage to Rent (MTR) Scheme was introduced in 2012 and is administered by the Housing Agency on behalf of my Department. The MTR Scheme offers households in acute, unsustainable mortgage arrears situations, with little or no prospect of a significant change in circumstances, the chance to surrender a property to a lender and in turn become a social housing tenant whilst staying in their own home and community.
In order to qualify for the scheme, both the property and household must meet certain eligibility criteria. Further information regarding eligibility can be accessed through the following link: Mortgage to Rent | Mortgage to Rent
My Department encourages any borrower in mortgage arrears, if they have not already done so, to engage with the Abhaile scheme. The Abhaile scheme is available to borrowers in mortgage arrears and provides a range of services free of charge to borrowers including access to independent expert financial advice, legal advice and insolvency advice. A dedicated adviser will work the borrower and their lender to find the best solution for their situation. Abhaile is operated by the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) who can be reached by telephoning 0761 07 2000 (9am - 8pm, Monday - Friday) or by contacting their local MABS office.
For those who are renting and are at risk of homelessness, the Social Housing Tenant-in-situ scheme may be available. For 2023 and 2024, the Government agreed that there would be increased provision for social housing acquisitions and my Department provided funding for Local Authorities to acquire 1,500 social homes. The additional acquisitions have primarily focused on properties where a tenant is in receipt of social housing supports and has received a Notice of Termination due to the landlord’s intention to sell the property. My Department issued a circular letter in March 2024, setting out details of these arrangements and each Local Authority was provided with a provisional allocation for social housing acquisitions in 2024.
It is a matter for individual Local Authorities to identify suitable acquisitions in line with local circumstances and their social housing allocations policy. Local Authorities take appropriate steps to ensure that their first response will be to support households to try to prevent homelessness in cases where tenants have been served with a Notice of Termination by their landlord. It is important to acknowledge that the Tenant In-Situ scheme has been a key measure in preventing homelessness and as such has mitigated such impacts for many households.
The Cost Rental Tenant In-Situ (CRTiS) scheme was introduced on 1 April 2023 for tenants in private rental homes who are not in receipt of social housing supports but who are at risk of homelessness because a landlord has served a valid Notice of Termination due to an intention to sell the property. The Local Authority conducts the initial assessment for eligibility of the tenant for this scheme and refers potential cases to the Housing Agency, which is responsible for administering and managing the scheme on behalf of my Department.
The primary tenant eligibility condition for accessing Cost Rental housing also applies for eligibility for the CRTiS scheme, which is a maximum net annual household income (less income tax, PRSI, USC and superannuation contributions) of €66,000 for Dublin and €59,000 in the rest of Ireland. Further details regarding this scheme can be found at the following link: www.housingagency.ie/crtis .
Tenants at risk of homelessness should continue to engage directly with the Housing Department in their Local Authority area who can advise them in relation to their immediate and long-term accommodation options.
