COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

south dublin county council crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, December 13, 2010

QUESTION NO. 1

QUESTION: Councillor S. Crowe

To ask the Manager can he give a report outlining what is causing the actual delay in the availability of the Council's various housing lists and the position of applicants?

REPLY:

As members will be aware, Leasing has been promoted by the DoEHLG for some years now as the future of social housing. If we are successful in this initiative---and with up to 65% of applicants on our waiting list living in private rented accommodation with the benefit of a state support in the form of rent supplement—this council is well placed to maximise the use of Leasing and RAS to provide homes to those of our citizens in need of social accommodation.

The Council has now introduced the two new Pilot Schemes - Applicant Sourced Homes and Choice Based Lettings as the new methods of allocating Council dwellings to applicants on the housing list. 

These schemes modify and simplify the allocation process allowing more flexibility for the applicant and the Allocations Section as well as improving the way we do business. The outcome will entail efficiencies in the letting process resulting in more choice for the applicant and a more speedy turn around of Council vacancies.

As a result of these new schemes the exact position on the housing list is no longer as important as it was.  All applicants on the list will be contacted over the coming months in as the new methods of allocating houses gathers momentum.

As individual offers are phased out and advertising available housing on a monthly/forthnigtly basis becomes the norm for allocating housing the necessity to establish exact positions on the list becomes defunct/ unnecessary.   Therefore to avoid confusion it has been decided not to issue a Housing List at this time.  Where there is a competing list of applicants seeking a specific house or apartment their priority will continue to be awarded through time on list.

Those applicants who are not interested and who do not express an interest will remain on the waiting list, their application will not be affected in any way and they will be housed as opportunities and units become available.

Please note any applicants who are currently in line for offer of accommodation will receive such as soon as a suitable vacancy arises, in accordance with the Council's Scheme of Letting Priorities