I propose to take Questions Nos. 813 to 819, inclusive, together.
The Local Authority Home Loan (LAHL) is a Government-backed mortgage for creditworthy for first-time buyers and fresh start applicants who cannot get sufficient funding from commercial lenders to purchase or build a home. It has been available nationwide from local authorities since 4 January 2022. The loan can be used both for new and second-hand properties, or to self-build. The scheme can also be used for the purchase of homes through State schemes such as the Tenant Purchase Scheme and Affordable Housing Schemes. For new properties and self-builds, the Help to Buy Scheme, operated by Revenue, can be used towards the 10% deposit requirement for a Local Authority Home Loan.
The Housing Agency provides a central underwriting service that assesses valid applications for the Local Authority Home Loan on behalf of local authorities and makes recommendations to local authorities to approve or refuse applications.
The most recent figures provided by the Agency on the number of valid applications that it has assessed for the Local Authority Home Loan from 2022 to end July 2024 are set out in the below table:
|
Local Authority
|
Valid Applications Assessed
|
Recommended to Approve
|
|
Carlow County Council
|
70
|
26
|
|
Cavan County Council
|
63
|
26
|
|
Clare County Council
|
102
|
48
|
|
Cork City Council
|
204
|
76
|
|
Cork County Council
|
466
|
178
|
|
Donegal County Council
|
52
|
24
|
|
Dublin City Council
|
435
|
272
|
|
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
|
89
|
41
|
|
Fingal County Council
|
385
|
212
|
|
Galway City Council
|
110
|
69
|
|
Galway County Council
|
163
|
69
|
|
Kerry County Council
|
121
|
37
|
|
Kildare County Council
|
213
|
97
|
|
Kilkenny County Council
|
95
|
53
|
|
Laois County Council
|
95
|
45
|
|
Leitrim County Council
|
43
|
14
|
|
Limerick City & County Council
|
117
|
57
|
|
Longford County Council
|
84
|
47
|
|
Louth County Council
|
209
|
78
|
|
Mayo County Council
|
63
|
29
|
|
Meath County Council
|
252
|
174
|
|
Monaghan County Council
|
78
|
21
|
|
Offaly County Council
|
51
|
23
|
|
Roscommon County Council
|
84
|
30
|
|
Sligo County Council
|
60
|
19
|
|
South Dublin County Council
|
229
|
113
|
|
Tipperary County Council
|
116
|
52
|
|
Waterford City & County Council
|
207
|
46
|
|
Westmeath County Council
|
77
|
34
|
|
Wexford County Council
|
162
|
61
|
|
Wicklow County Council
|
191
|
66
|
|
Total
|
4686
|
2137
|
The final decision on loan approval is a matter for the relevant local authority and its Credit Committee on a case-by-case basis. Decisions on all housing loan applications must be made in accordance with the Regulations establishing the scheme and the Credit Policy that underpins the scheme, in order to ensure prudence and consistency in approaches in the best interests of both borrowers and the lenders, the local authorities. Information on the number and value of (i) local authority loan approvals and (ii) local authority loan draw downs as well as statistics on the various Local Authority Housing schemes in place are published on my Department's website: www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/4b293-housing-statistics/
Statistics on the source of the deposit (such as Help to Buy) used for the purchase of a property using a Local Authority Home Loan, the use of the Local Authority Home Loan for the affordable housing and tenant purchase schemes and the average processing times for loan application are not collated by my Department.
