Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 30 September 2026
89. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the housing supports available to a person who is over the income threshold to apply for local authority housing but is under the income threshold to avail of cost rental housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69224/26]
View answerCost Rental housing is intended for households in the middle-income cohort who do not qualify for social housing, but who may be experiencing affordability challenges in the private rental market. The core principle of Cost Rental is that rents are set to cover the development, management and maintenance costs of the homes, ensuring long-term financial sustainability while remaining insulated from market rent pressures. The State is providing significant levels of investment to make this possible, and over 6,600 Cost Rental homes have already been delivered, with more to come. The principal eligibility requirement for Cost Rental housing is that net annual household income must be below a specified threshold, which is €66,000 for homes in Dublin and €59,000 for homes elsewhere.
Notwithstanding the more than €2 billion in Exchequer funding already approved to support the provision of Cost Rental homes, recent inflation in construction and delivery costs has presented challenges across the sector. Nonetheless, all our delivery partners continue to actively manage these challenges in order to ensure that homes are made available at the most competitive and affordable rents achievable.
Anyone whose household income falls under the net income thresholds is able to apply for a Cost Rental home. The Affordable Housing Act 2021 does not provide for a 'minimum income threshold' for Cost Rental tenants. That said, it is the case that Cost Rental providers - which include the Local Authorities, the Approved Housing Bodies and the Land Development Agency - must always consider affordability and sustainability of the tenancy. In doing so, they assess prospective tenants to ensure they can reasonably sustain rent payments over time and may use financial metrics, such as rent-to-income ratios, as part of this assessment. As a result, not every applicant may be considered an appropriate tenant for every available home, since rents will vary according to underlying costs. Providers can, however, apply flexibility to their assessments, particularly where an applicant can demonstrate a history of meeting similar or higher rent in the private rental sector.
In relation to those whose income exceeds the limits for social housing support, my Department has been examining the existing social housing income limits in the context of current market and household income conditions. This includes examining the findings of research commissioned by my Department, and this work is ongoing. I envisage that the analysis will be concluded shortly to facilitate a final determination on next steps. I am also keen to establish a more structured and regular process for reviewing social housing income limits into the future.
