Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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202. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if there are plans for the National Housing Agency to purchase a housing estate (details supplied) where all the tenants have received eviction notices to leave between February and June of next year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55743/25]

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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206. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if a request for the tenant-in situ-scheme will be considered for persons (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55808/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 202 and 206 together.

I understand the housing estate in question includes both private and social housing (Housing Assistance Payment) supported tenancies, with the majority of households renting privately.

In the first instance, and regardless of the type of tenancy, any household at risk of homelessness should engage directly with the housing department in their relevant local authority, which can advise them regarding their immediate and long-term accommodation options.

The Cost Rental Tenant In-Situ (CRTiS) scheme is a support for tenants in private rental homes who are not receiving social housing support but are at risk of homelessness because a landlord has served a valid Notice of Termination because they intend to sell the property. In such cases, eligibility for support is assessed in the first instance by the relevant local authority. Potential suitable cases are referred thereafter to the Housing Agency (which administers and manages the scheme on behalf of my Department) for a decision to acquire a property or otherwise. Details on the scheme can be accessed via the Housing Agency’s website at: www.housingagency.ie/crtis.

Similar support may be available for social housing supported tenants under my Department's Second Hand Acquisitions Programme. The programme provides for the acquisition of homes with tenants in situ, as a last resort policy lever for local authorities, when all other options to accommodate a household in receipt of HAP or RAS, which has received a no fault Notice of Termination, have been exhausted and the household is at risk of homelessness. The acquisition of such properties is delegated to local authorities within the parameters of the Second Hand Acquisitions Programme. Accordingly, it would be a matter for Kerry County Council to determine, having explored all other options to prevent the relevant households becoming homeless, if the acquisition of the homes in question is a suitable option. The funding available this year, coupled with the flexibility to enter into commitments falling due in 2026, should be more than adequate to meet all potential tenant in situ and other acquisitions that can be completed this year.

Finally, Section 35A of the Residential Tenancies Acts (known as the ‘Tyrrelstown amendment’) provides that where a landlord proposes to sell 10 or more units within a single development at the same time, the sale is subject to the existing tenants remaining in situ, other than in exceptional circumstances. The ‘Tyrrelstown amendment’ seeks to promote security of tenure in the interest of the common social good.

In any event, where there is a question regarding the validity of a Notice of Termination, tenants can refer a dispute to the Residential Tenancies Board for resolution.