Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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466. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the status of those persons that have successfully applied for mortgage to rent but have not managed to find a purchaser for their house. [41279/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Up to 31 December 2016, a total of 3,575 cases have been submitted under the Mortgage to Rent (MTR) Scheme, which was introduced in 2012 for borrowers of private commercial lending institutions. Of these, 2,723 were ineligible or terminated during the process, 217 have been completed with 635 being actively progressed. The reasons why a case has not progressed are varied and can depend on the lender, the property, the household and the ability of the Approved Housing Body sector to increase their involvement in the scheme.

Statistical information relating to the Mortgage to Rent Scheme since its inception, including statistics on cases that have been terminated and the reasons for same, is available on the Housing Agency's website at the following weblink:

A number of amendments were made to the MTR Scheme in July 2015 to enable more properties to qualify and to make the scheme more flexible and accessible to borrowers.

Notwithstanding the amendments already made, the Government is committed to supporting households in long-term mortgage arrears to remain in their homes and has included a review of the MTR Scheme as an action in Rebuilding Ireland: An Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness. The review, currently underway and due for completion shortly, is examining how the scheme can work better for borrowers.

Where a borrower's MTR application has not been successful there are a number of other options available in such circumstances. For those borrowers who are ineligible for the MTR scheme, but qualify for social housing support, they should engage as early as possible with their local authority regarding their housing needs if they feel they are in danger of losing their home. Where a borrower is deemed to qualify for social housing support, there are other housing support options available immediately from the local authority such as the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP).

The Government has established a new Mortgage Arrears Resolution Service, known as Abhaile, and operated by the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) in conjunction with the Insolvency Service of Ireland (ISI), the Legal Aid Board and the Citizens Information Board. The objective of the Abhaile Scheme is to ensure that a person who is at risk of losing their home due to their mortgage arrears can access independent expert financial and legal advice, which will help them to identify their best options for returning to solvency – with priority to their remaining in their home, where that is a sustainable option. The website contains comprehensive details of the supports available under the Scheme.