Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
Link to this: Individually | In context

533. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government given the ongoing housing crisis and the need to support families in mortgage-to-rent schemes in meeting their financial and social needs, if his Department has considered reviewing or amending current legislation and tenancy agreements to allow such tenants to sublet one or two rooms in their homes, provided that any such subtenancies are formally registered with the Residential Tenancies Board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37761/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Mortgage to Rent (MTR) scheme is targeted at those households in mortgage arrears that have had their mortgage position deemed unsustainable by their lender under the Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process. In order for a borrower to qualify for the MTR scheme, the mortgage, property and household must meet the eligibility criteria, including being eligible for social housing support.

A homeowner whose home was purchased under the MTR scheme by an Approved Housing Body (AHB) is a tenant of that AHB and if the home was purchased by one of the private companies operating under the MTR scheme, is a tenant of the local authority. Once a homeowner's property is acquired through the MTR scheme, they become a social housing tenant. They are therefore subject to the same rules in relation to renting out a room in their house as any other social housing tenant.

In March 2023, the Government agreed to extend the Rent-a-Room Relief scheme disregard to social welfare recipients, extend the disregard into medical card criteria, and permit local authority tenancies access to the scheme.

My Department provided for the extension of the Rent-a-Room Relief scheme by working closely with the local authority and AHB sectors to introduce a scheme for third level students. The scheme came into operation on 1 December 2023, and it allows tenants, including local authority tenants, to rent out a room in their homes to eligible third level students, subject to approval.

Section 3A of the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 - 2025 provides that a tenant of a dwelling the subject of a tenancy let by an Approved Housing Body shall not assign or sub-let the tenancy.

The issue of renting a room may be addressed in any tenancy agreement between the AHB and their tenant and is a contractual matter between the two parties.