Tenancy sustainment, or tenant-in-situ, is a priority category under my Department's Second Hand Acquisitions Programme. It is not a scheme and there is no application process. Rather it is a policy tool available to local authorities to prevent social housing supported households in the private rented sector from falling into homelessness. It is an emergency measure and should only be used as a last resort by local authorities when all other options have been exhausted.
I expect the parameters of the 2026 Programme to be notified to local authorities in Q1 this year. More than adequate funding was available under the 2025 programme to complete any acquisitions needed to respond to precarious housing situations, with local authorities recouping only €291 million of the initial €325 million available to the programme.
Similarly, I expect the allocations for 2026, when approved, will also be more than adequate to support any emergency acquisitions that may be needed throughout the year.
In the meantime, local authorities are authorised to enter into commitments for 2026 up to a value of 30% of their original 2025 acquisitions budget. This flexibility effectively provides for a multi-annual approach to programme delivery, facilitating local authorities to plan and progress acquisitions between annual programmes, and from one year to the next, with a higher level of certainty vis-à-vis future funding availability.
This flexibility will continue to be available from this year into next, with local authorities authorised to enter into commitments for 2027 up to an agreed percentage of their 2026 allocation. This will allow emergency acquisitions to commence and progress in the latter months of this year that may not complete until 2027.
My Department will continue to engage with individual local authorities as needed regarding the 2025 programme, to inform learnings for the 2026 programme and to ensure local authorities continue progressing acquisitions pending rollout of the full details of the 2026 Second Hand Acquisitions Programme.
