Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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326. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to reports that those who have been approved to offer their homes to Ukrainian families through the Government scheme under current guidelines are not guaranteed that the Government and/or local authority will take responsibility for the gas and electric utility bills if the family are unable to meet this financial commitment; if he will update these guidelines to allow for this guarantee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4078/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The launch of the unoccupied homes call 'Offer a Home', which is being led by local authorities with oversight from my Department, took place on 24 November 2022.

Property owners can offer homes at offerahome.ie or by contacting the local authority in which their property is located. Properties offered need to be habitable and must meet certain health and safety standards, developed by the Local Government sector and agreed by my Department.

Local authorities managing the programme recommend that property owners and beneficiaries sign a temporary accommodation licence agreement to protect the rights of the property owner, the beneficiary, and the property itself. The relevant local authority can provide home owners with a template licence agreement.

This licence agreement should also include the payment of utilities which should be agreed by the property owner and the beneficiary at the outset of the arrangement. Should the beneficiaries require assistance in transferring bills to their names, they may contact Citizens Information, Community Response Fora or the relevant local authority. 

Property owners are entitled to claim the Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP), which is a tax-free,  monthly payment per month from the Department of Social Protection for each property used to provide accommodation to refugees from Ukraine. The payment increased to €800 per month from 1 December 2022.

More information can be found on www.offerahome.ie.