Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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440. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of applications submitted from Donegal for the mortgage to rent scheme; the number of these applications that have been successful; the number still being processed; how long it takes for an application to be deemed successful or unsuccessful, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13376/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Mortgage to Rent (MTR) scheme was introduced in 2012 and is administered by the Housing Agency on behalf of my Department. The scheme offers households with acute, unsustainable mortgage arrears and limited prospects of a significant change in circumstances, the chance to surrender a property to a lender and in turn become a social housing tenant, whilst staying in their own home and community.

The table below sets out the number of MTR applications relating to Co. Donegal from the start of the scheme to the end 2024.

Out of the total of 114, 32 cases were withdrawn from the scheme. Other cases did not progress due to a number of reasons such as, the property did not meet the eligibility criteria of the scheme, no Approved Housing Body (AHB) wished to purchase the property, a sale price could not be agreed, or Donegal County Council declined to accept the property as a social housing property.

In 2024, the average timeframe, from when an MTR case was lodged with the Housing Agency to its completion, was approximately five months. More complicated MTR cases, for example involving marital breakdown or other changes in circumstances, generally take longer than five months to complete.

The Local Authority Mortgage to Rent scheme is a parallel initiative to help homeowners who have mortgages through a local authority, and are at risk of losing their homes due to mortgage arrears.

The table below sets out the number of Local Authority Mortgage to Rent scheme applications relating to Donegal to date.

The Housing Agency publishes, on a quarterly basis, detailed statistical information on the operation of the MTR scheme, which can be accessed on their website at the following link: www.housingagency.ie/housing-information/mortgage-rent-statistics