Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The tenant in situ acquisition scheme may have been a temporary measure initially but it is one that has proved absolutely necessary in protecting some of the most vulnerable in our society. It was by no means perfect but bureaucratic ineptitude at national and local level led to it being a lot less than it could have been. I have had multiple examples of small landlords with long-standing tenants who are extremely concerned about what will happen to the individuals and families who are facing homelessness as a result of the property being sold. In many cases these people have had no option but to sell because of their own financial pressures. They saw the tenant in situ scheme as a win-win but many owners who submitted their properties in good faith were hampered by concerns about funding or massive delays in the processing of applications and they had to give up. Now, Government delays in funding and changes to the scheme have added to the great uncertainty. In numerical terms it has taken many potential housing units off the market but in human terms it has caused devastation to many families. Not only are so many families needlessly facing homelessness now but as of last month in south Dublin, as has been mentioned by other Deputies with regard to their county council areas, all the homeless hubs were full up. Once these tenants have to leave, where are they going to go? It is shocking and outrageous.

We are coming into the second quarter of this year and we still do not have proper guidelines for how the revised scheme will work. We have a lot of platitudes but no certainty. With no certainty, fewer property owners are willing to take a risk, especially with no clarity on timescales or refurbishment works, or the two-year rule when a family could have been renting for more than a decade. The tenant in situ scheme is a relatively costly way to keep a roof over people's heads and we know this. In the absence of any meaningful action on the macro level it is a lifeline for so many families. The Government's motion contains many weasel phrases and passes the buck to local authorities. We simply need more funding, more certainty and a time limit on the applications process which can drag on and on, for more than nine months in some cases and sometimes up to year. In essence, the Government needs to do better. It has listened to the motion and the contributions and I hope the Minister will take note.

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