Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 February 2026
407. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of tenant-in-situ acquisitions completed nationally in 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025; the number approved but not yet completed; and the number of applications refused or withdrawn in each year. [13856/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe management of acquisitions under my Department's Social Housing Second Hand Acquisitions Programme, including for tenancy sustainment (via tenant in situ), is delegated to the local authorities.
Critically, 'tenant in situ' is not a scheme. 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 should only be used as a last resort by local authorities when all other options have been exhausted. Accordingly, there is no application process for landlords or tenants. It is a matter for each local authority to determine whether a tenant in situ acquisition is the appropriate policy response in a given situation.
My Department publishes comprehensive programme-level statistics quarterly for social housing delivery, including for social housing acquisitions by local authorities. These data are currently available to end Q3 2025 and can be accessed at: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/
The data show 1,829 social housing acquisitions completed in 2023, with 1,081 acquisitions supporting tenancy sustainment. Some 1,501 acquisitions were completed in 2024, with 1,054 helping sustain social housing tenancies. Q4 2025 data are currently being compiled and validated and will published in due course. That said, the provisional data suggests that funding was recouped to local authorities in 2025 for around 775 acquisitions, including some 480 or so tenancy sustainment acquisitions.
