Affordable Housing

smooth operater

Can anyone tell me where i would find an up to date application form for the affordable housing scheme in wicklow?

nachos

I'm just about to send off my common application form, I was wondering what's the next step after I submit my application?
Are you put down for all properties or do you get to choose what areas you'd like to live in?

Also, if offered a house what happens if you refuse it? Are you put back to the end of the waiting list or do you just keep your place?

Cheers

Daith

nachos wrote: »

Are you put down for all properties or do you get to choose what areas you'd like to live in?

Also, if offered a house what happens if you refuse it? Are you put back to the end of the waiting list or do you just keep your place?

Cheers

I only know about DCC but they will send out a newlestter with available properties. You can tick anything you're interested in. They go to a lottery for each property.

I think with Fingal you get a position on a waiting list and Fingal will send you details of properties.

If you get picked out, you'll be informed and will need to get your mortgage/solicitor sorted out.

If you refuse then I believe DCC follow (or followed) a 3 refusals and you can't apply for 6 months. Other councils might be different though.

Victor

smooth operater wrote: »

Can anyone tell me where i would find an up to date application form for the affordable housing scheme in wicklow?

Is the one here up to date?

http://www.wicklow.ie/housing/housing.htm

randombar

Hi Lads,

I did a bit of a google but I can't seem to find the date for the Dublin City affordable housing lottery. Anyone know?

Thanks
GAry

nachos

Daith wrote: »

I only know about DCC but they will send out a newlestter with available properties. You can tick anything you're interested in. They go to a lottery for each property.

I think with Fingal you get a position on a waiting list and Fingal will send you details of properties.

If you get picked out, you'll be informed and will need to get your mortgage/solicitor sorted out.

If you refuse then I believe DCC follow (or followed) a 3 refusals and you can't apply for 6 months. Other councils might be different though.

Cheers for that. I'm applying to all 4 Dublin councils, basically the shotgun approach; fire and hope something hits the target!

Just out of interest, how long was everyone waiting from the time they submitted their application to the time they were offered a house?

traceybere

nachos wrote: »

Cheers for that. I'm applying to all 4 Dublin councils, basically the shotgun approach; fire and hope something hits the target!

Just out of interest, how long was everyone waiting from the time they submitted their application to the time they were offered a house?

Hi Nachos,

I applied to all 4 COCO's last year - in Feb

I was offered a one bed appart in the city center over the summer. I turned this down as the location didn't suit and i have a child. I've had no other offers since.

I applied to the AHI in November got offereed a house in Dec and am due to move in next month.

nachos

GaryCocs wrote: »

Hi Lads,

I did a bit of a google but I can't seem to find the date for the Dublin City affordable housing lottery. Anyone know?

Thanks
GAry

Thanks for the info traceybere, congratulations on the new house!

GaryCocs, was just in the Dublin City Council office dropping off my application at lunch time and they said the next draw will be at the end of february/start of march

Jaybee

For anyone who is on the SDCC list - have you heard of any new developments arising ?

I am on the list 9 months now and was told I could be waiting another 9. I cant see any new developments in tallaght arising and the probems with Tallaght Cross and land issues doesnt seems to be budging. I was really hopin I may be offered somwhere there.

Scrumptious

I have been offered an apartment in Sandyford through DLRCOCO.

I had originally asked to be included for a 2 bed but the cost was too high (€300k) for the 2 bed in Sandyford so have gone through the process for a 1 bed at €250k.

I have been told I can turn this offer down and get one more chance and then if I don't accept the second offer I go to the bottom of the list. I am so confused as I really want a 2 bed, for space over the years, but am afraid to turn down the 1 bed in case the next offer isn't in as convenient location. The development is also really well built and fitted out well but just so afraid that I will be in it for 10 years and feel cramped but equally afraid of saying no thanks and getting an offer for somewhere not as nice or well built.

I also don't like the fact that I have to make my decision on the spot. I have been told I will be contacted by the developer over the next few weeks for a viewing and if I like the apartment I have to give my booking deposit (€3,000) there and then, no chance to go home and think about it and no chance to view in advance.

I tried to look about arranging a viewing through an estate agent for the same development but they have no one beds available for viewing at the moment.

Arghhhhh

Daith

Scrumptious wrote: »

I also don't like the fact that I have to make my decision on the spot. I have been told I will be contacted by the developer over the next few weeks for a viewing and if I like the apartment I have to give my booking deposit (€3,000) there and then, no chance to go home and think about it and no chance to view in advance.

If you decide that it doesn't suit you surely they will return the deposit?

Scrumptious

Not sure, that is part of what has me confused. I thought a booking deposit was only refundable if the developer didn't meet their end of the deal.

I don't like the way the council can't let you view and think and then possibly view again. Most people don't buy their home on a whim/20 minute viewing.
I certainly don't want to be paying a €1,200 mortgage each month for 35 years for an apartment I had to decide on in minutes.

Love the development and if I was able to afford the 2 beds there I wouldn't even hesitate. Just scared that in a year or two I will have no room, from what I can see of the plans there isn't much extra space... don't know where all my clothes and things I have accumulated over the years (which I don't want to throw out) would fit.

irlrobins

Booking deposits (usually 5% of total price) are refundable. Contract deposits (10%) are not.

Stephen P

Looking for a bit of feedback on this question...

Anyone know of any problem with this - I have an affordable apartment, I want to buy the council out, I'll have to get a mortgage to cover loan outstanding and to cover clawback, I then want to sell the apartment on, depending on the market value I could make a nice little profit on it. As far as I'm aware there's no restriction in the rules that prohibits me selling it on once I buy the council out.

Victor

Dangerous strategy in a falling market.

irlrobins

Which is cheaper, buying the council out or paying them clawback?

Stephen P

I owe roughly 140K, the apartment is worth in the region of 300K, we purchased it at 149K, 300K - 149K = 151K,
clawback = 55% of 151K = 83,050K,
total amount to buy council out = 140K + 83050K = 223,050K
I sell it on for 300K, clear mortgage of 223,050K (300K - 223,050K = 76,950K profit)

This is all depending on selling it. Its in a great location. Even if I get slightly less than asking price I still make some sort of profit.

Victor

And where would you live?

Stephen P

Gonna probably move back home. Going through some personal problems thats why I'm selling

irlrobins

I'd check your figures there. The clawback is equal to the a percentage of the total price when you sell.

So for example, if the market value of the apt when you bought it was 300K and you paid 150K for it then the percentage clawback is 50%. If you then sell the apartment for 350K, you owe the council 175K (50% of 350K). Not 50% of the difference.

Stephen P

I checked with the council again this morning and they confirmed that the clawback is 55% of the difference between the current market value and the price I purchased it at.

irlrobins

Well that goes against all the literature on the AH scheme. I'd get that in writing if I were you.

The G Child

I was in for the affordable housing and over the last couple of months have received 6 offers. After viewing 3 of the appartment complexes that were on offer I have to say they were not of the standard I was expecting. I have subsequently turned down these offers and so have been removed from the list for a period (I think its 2 years) before becoming elegible again.

The reason I turned them down is basically the size of them. To say they were small would be an understatement. All were 2 bed apartments but they were very low on space. I wanted a place in the Docklands area so offers of houses in Clonsaugh and Balgriffen didn't really suit. But these apartments are tiny.

My opinion is that if you want somewhere to raise a family, these Dockland apartments are not it. Just my take on the affordable housing options that I have seen.

Stephen P

I just saw that on SDCC's & DCC's website. I'll definetly get that in writing from them.

Corrina Penston

Scrumptious wrote: »

Not sure, that is part of what has me confused. I thought a booking deposit was only refundable if the developer didn't meet their end of the deal.

I don't like the way the council can't let you view and think and then possibly view again. Most people don't buy their home on a whim/20 minute viewing.
I certainly don't want to be paying a €1,200 mortgage each month for 35 years for an apartment I had to decide on in minutes.

Love the development and if I was able to afford the 2 beds there I wouldn't even hesitate. Just scared that in a year or two I will have no room, from what I can see of the plans there isn't much extra space... don't know where all my clothes and things I have accumulated over the years (which I don't want to throw out) would fit.

Hi Scrumptious,good luck with making right decision on this. I think I might go for one bedroom, but its up to you and what you're looking for. I've been waiting a couple of years on DNRCC and absolutely nothing at all. Do you mind telling me how long you were on the list for?

Stephen

Has anyone done this with Kilkenny County/Borough Council? I'd like to hear about your experiences, as I'm considering it myself.

warrenaldo

stephen p wrote: »

I checked with the council again this morning and they confirmed that the clawback is 55% of the difference between the current market value and the price I purchased it at.

Have you checked this out Stephen? - as far as i know. Its 55% of whatever you sell at. Not the difference. In any of the examples it gives on the websites it also states that. I made a point of being sure about this issue and rang the council numerous times regarding the matter.

Although i have to say some times they told me one thing another time they told me another.

So lets say you purchased at 300k(150k for you - 50% clawback).
Now its worth 200k.
I say you pay council 100k - ie 50% of price NOW.
You say you pay back 25k - that cant be right? the difference between the current market value(200k) and the price you purchased at (150k).
Or is it 50k - if price purchased at is 300k.

Either way - if thats the case then everyone who ever did affordable is in for a profit - i dont think so.

irlrobins

Firstly you're repeating what I posted.

And secondly in your example you say the value of the house drops from 300K to 200K. In which case no clawback is owed to the council. Clawback only comes into effect if the owner stands to make a profit.

warrenaldo

Thats wrong. irlrobins. Clawback does come into effect in the above example. The only way clawback is not taken into account is if the price would drop below the 150k mark in the above example.
This is why its so hazy.

If no clawback was due to council then the owner would be making a profit in the above example - 50k profit.

irlrobins

Sorry, you're right. Getting my figures confused.

Yes if price dropped below 150K there would be no clawback.