Council housing list...what happens next?

md323

Hi, I have just filled out and submitted a housing application form with my local county council.
I was just wondering what happens next?
I currently live in private rented accommodation with my wife and 3 kids. Have been living in the same house for the past 5 and a half years. We got notice that the landlord is selling the house so we have to move out by mid July.
We could just afford the rent we were paying( it just went up €150 per month last month) and so far we cannot find suitable accommodation within our budget, hence why we submitted a housing application form.
Hope someone might know what happens next..

chicorytip

The process usually takes three months so you'll be waiting some time before you get a decision. They may contact you at some stage to discuss specific details regarding your application.

pilly

You will be waiting a long time for the council to provide housing, there's a huge list. Only advice is to start looking for somewhere else to rent.

Kimbot

Wasnt the council housing schemes supposed to be stopped?

pilly

jonnycivic wrote: »

Wasnt the council housing schemes supposed to be stopped?

What makes you think that?

Senecio

I feel for the OP's situation, I really do. But I just can't stand the attitude above. Why do people advise to make it the landlords problem? Social housing is not a problem for private landlords to fix.

Mrs OBumble

OP what happens next depends on where you live.

If its Dublin then you probably need to look further afield to find a private rental you can afford. It will be years before the council offers you anything.

If it's an area will less demand, they may have something a little sooner. But even so, its unlikely to be before July, so you need to keep looking.

pilly

Senecio wrote: »

I feel for the OP's situation, I really do. But I just can't stand the attitude above. Why do people advise to make it the landlords problem? Social housing is not a problem for private landlords to fix.

I don't see where anyone has said it's the LL's problem?

md323

pilly wrote: »

I don't see where anyone has said it's the LL's problem?

Exactly

md323

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

OP what happens next depends on where you live.

If its Dublin then you probably need to look further afield to find a private rental you can afford. It will be years before the council offers you anything.

If it's an area will less demand, they may have something a little sooner. But even so, its unlikely to be before July, so you need to keep looking.

Live in Limerick, am actively looking. Just can't afford anything in our area or close by.

Senecio

pilly wrote: »

I don't see where anyone has said it's the LL's problem?

A post has been deleted. Someone was advising the OP to overstay.

pilly

Senecio wrote: »

A post has been deleted. Someone was advising the OP to overstay.

Oh okay, that makes sense. Apologies.

road_high

md323 wrote: »

Live in Limerick, am actively looking. Just can't afford anything in our area or close by.

Is it possible to move to say limerick county, Tipperary or Clare where rents might be lower and you can commute in to work?

Kimbot

pilly wrote: »

What makes you think that?

I just recall hearing that they were stopping it or planning to stop them or something, hence why I asked

pilly

jonnycivic wrote: »

I just recall hearing that they were stopping it or planning to stop them or something, hence why I asked

Probably just changing the name to something else which is what they tend to do when they make a mess of things. Different name, same **** waiting list.

pilly

road_high wrote: »

Is it possible to move to say limerick county, Tipperary or Clare where rents might be lower and you can commute in to work?

It's a good idea, rural Limerick can be very cheap. Tipperary too, depending where you're working.

md323

pilly wrote: »

It's a good idea, rural Limerick can be very cheap. Tipperary too, depending where you're working.

I'm living in the county already

Hesthea

md323 wrote: »

Hi, I have just filled out and submitted a housing application form with my local county council.
I was just wondering what happens next?
I currently live in private rented accommodation with my wife and 3 kids. Have been living in the same house for the past 5 and a half years. We got notice that the landlord is selling the house so we have to move out by mid July.
We could just afford the rent we were paying( it just went up €150 per month last month) and so far we cannot find suitable accommodation within our budget, hence why we submitted a housing application form.
Hope someone might know what happens next..

Hi md323.

The same just happened with me.

I have been living in the same private rented accommodation with my child for almost 3 years now and, even though i have a written lease signed by my landlord (which is still valid for a 1 and a half more) when he tried to increase my rent i went to threshold for legal advice. I got informed of the new laws and i informed my landlord about it. The next working day after he got the information that i wouldn't pay the rent increase he sends me a sms informing me that he decided to sell the apartment and that i have 3 months to leave the place.

I also cannot find or afford anything near my area. My child has learning difficulties so its imperative that she stays at the school where she is receiving support from. Not to mention she doesn't deal well with changes. Hence my effort to try to find a place nearby without any luck.

Meanwhile, during my search for a new place to live in that i could afford, i got denied by almost all of them because i am mainly a single mother (even though i am working full time, they refused me flat out through the phone and even turned it off in my face in a very unpleasant tone) or they refuse because the area is not safe for a child to live in (i guess for certain people its safer to live on the streets, although it would be ok if i had a man living with me). I even mention that i have a reference letter but even so its not accepted i was also told that "we do not accept rent allowance" i had to google what that was...

As a last resource, i submitted a housing application form. I got a letter after almost six weeks saying i was accept into the list. The next day i received a username and password to log onto their website to see the houses available in the areas chosen by me. So far, no luck whatsoever and time is running out.

The main thing i learned through all of this is that tenants have no rights or protection in Ireland.
It doesn't matter how long you are living in a house and how good of a tenant you are.
Doesn't matter if you have a written lease or not. When the landlord tells u to move out you have to obey.

pilly

Hesthea wrote:

The main thing i learned through all of this is that tenants have no rights or protection in Ireland. It doesn't matter how long you are living in a house and how good of a tenant you are. Doesn't matter if you have a written lease or not. When the landlord tells u to move out you have to obey.

That is simply not true.

Wesser

Ì feel sorry for your situation . But you are a victim of housing policies and government inaction and lack of planning for a gr o wing population. Not your landlord. Your landlord has the right to sell this property if he wishes , it is his!!! You do have rights he has given you until July to get sorted which is your right and is alot of time to get sorted.
Best of luck and I'm sure you will find somewhere.

Mrs OBumble

<mod snip>

Tenants have enormous rights.

Of course they don't have the right to stay forever - they don't own the place. But the do get large amounts of notice when they have to leave.

cbyrd

Is the HAP scheme available in your area? I was recently accepted on the housing list in my area after becoming homeless due to rent increases, once on the housing list, I could find a private rental and apply for HAP, which pays a portion of the rent directly to the landlord. It's the revamp of rent allowance.
Worth looking into if you have a few months to find a property, the council will have all the information.

Hesthea

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

<mod snip>

Tenants have enormous rights.

Of course they don't have the right to stay forever - they don't own the place. But the do get large amounts of notice when they have to leave.

Wesser wrote: »

Ì feel sorry for your situation . But you are a victim of housing policies and government inaction and lack of planning for a gr o wing population. Not your landlord. Your landlord has the right to sell this property if he wishes , it is his!!! You do have rights he has given you until July to get sorted which is your right and is alot of time to get sorted.
Best of luck and I'm sure you will find somewhere.

3 months to leave the place doesn't give you time to find a new place to live in when you can't afford to rent a new one for you and your child especially when people simple deny you the right to rent one due to discrimination because your a single mother.

Not to mention that with the housing crisis its even worse: rents have doubled, others are simply in such a bad state that it makes you wonder if there is any fiscalization when someone decides to rent their properties.

I'm not against my landlord selling the property. Like it was said so well, it is his property hence his right. What i am against is the fact that my signed document is not valid to allow me to stay in the place until the end of it. Does that mean that all the contracts signed all over Ireland are invalid too? The one we signed with the bank? Our employers? And so on?

I should have the right to stay until the end. I would be the responsability of the new landlord and he/she would decided if he/she wanted to renovate my contract or not at the end of it.

pilly wrote: »

That is simply not true.

Then explain me how come even though i have a written lease still valid for a year and a half and i still have to leave the apartment?

Hesthea

cbyrd wrote: »

Is the HAP scheme available in your area? I was recently accepted on the housing list in my area after becoming homeless due to rent increases, once on the housing list, I could find a private rental and apply for HAP, which pays a portion of the rent directly to the landlord. It's the revamp of rent allowance.
Worth looking into if you have a few months to find a property, the council will have all the information.

I received a letter about it last Friday. I've read the leaflet but still have some doubts so i will be phoning them tomorrow if i have time after work. But even the few places that i could pay without help i couldn't rent it because they refuse to rent to single mothers. <mod snip>

shugy

I know someone who's been on the housing list, waiting 14 years and still hasn't been offered a house from the council. If I was you, don't expect to be offered anything anytime soon.

pilly

Hesthea wrote:

Then explain me how come even though i have a written lease still valid for a year and a half and i still have to leave the apartment?

Because those are the RTB rules. Same way if you want out of the lease you just give notice too.

Let's put it another way, if your circumstances changed and you had to move would you be paying 18 months rent to the LL to move? No way would you.

Hesthea

pilly wrote: »

Because those are the RTB rules. Same way if you want out of the lease you just give notice too.

Let's put it another way, if your circumstances changed and you had to move would you be paying 18 months rent to the LL to move? No way would you.

When my landlord gave me the new 3y lease he made very clear that if i wanted to break the lease i couldn't unless i was willing to pay out, yet he added a clause in the lease allowing him that right when i couldn't do the same.

I was satisfied with the place so moving wasn't an option at that time although it was unfair to not give me the same rights that he bestowed upon himself.

shugy wrote: »

I know someone who's been on the housing list, waiting 14 years and still hasn't been offered a house from the council. If I was you, don't expect to be offered anything anytime soon.

I know people that have been waiting between 3 to 11 years so yes, i am not expecting a miracle but i also cannot afford to become a homeless person for my child's sake. Hence i haven't given up and check for houses/ apartments everyday.

colm_mcm

What's your budget for rent?

Villa05

For limerick, try towns nearby that may have a larger supply of houses (possible over supply). Tipp town, Nenagh, Kilmallock, Charleville or possibly Necastlewest come to mind.

Hesthea

colm_mcm wrote: »

What's your budget for rent?

Is that question for me or md323 or both?

The_Conductor

Hesthea wrote: »

When my landlord gave me the new 3y lease he made very clear that if i wanted to break the lease i couldn't unless i was willing to pay out, yet he added a clause in the lease allowing him that right when i couldn't do the same.

Hesthea- nothing a landlord puts in a written lease can supercede or overwrite your rights, as tenant, which are spelt out in the Residential Tenancies Act. A landlord can put a clause in a lease allowing him to sell the property- or for use by an immediate family member- this is legitimate- he cannot however refuse to offer you terms to vacate the lease which detract in any manner from your rights under the Act. Aka- regardless of what your formal written lease stated- you could leave at any time, without consequence, providing you found a replacement tenant of at least equal stature to yourself to continue the lease.

Your rights as a tenant are in fact a lot stronger than you realise- we have some of the strongest tenancy law in Europe in Ireland- however, a lot of people are not familiar with the law, or how to refute actions which are contrary to the Act.

With respect of your current predicament- unfortunate though it is- it appears you have been served with correct notice- and given a valid reason by the landlord to vacate the property, as per the Act. If he subsequently does not make a reasonable attempt to sell the property- or relets it to another tenant without giving you first refusal- he would be in breach of his obligations and you would have a valid case to lodge a complaint with the Residential Tenancies Board.

The Council Housing List- is simply that- a list- and while properties are made available to those on the list- its far from unusual for 10 year + waits to be encountered on the list.

DO NOT RELY ON GETTING A PROPERTY FROM THE COUNCIL WAITING LIST BEFORE JULY.

You need to proactively engage with the council, DSP and any other bodies who may be of assistance to you- to see what accommodations may be made to assist you. In some cases you may be expedited onto other housing schemes- such as HAP with topups above the local levels, to make you a more attractive tenant for a landlord- you need to explore what your options are though- not sit back and imagine that the Council Housing List is some sort of magic well that is going to magic up your ideal home in your ideal location- on time, for you to move into next July..........