News

The Housing Agency hosted a briefing session on the morning of the 12th of July to discuss the expansion of the Repair and Leases Scheme.

The Repair and Lease scheme has been expanded on a pilot basis to include the following:

• vacant commercial units;
• vacant units associated with a commercial unit (e.g. over the shop);
• vacant institutional buildings;
• unfinished developments which have been vacant for a significant period of time.

Aoife Joyce from DHLGH discussed the objectives, requirements and rationale behind the expansion.

Claire Feeney from The Housing Agency discussed the operation of the scheme to include The Housing Agency’s role.

Paul Johnston from Waterford City and County Council provided an overview of their Repair and Lease activity and the benefits of the expansion.

For further information on the scheme please contact leasing@housingagency.ie

The Housing Agency's newsletter is published quarterly and provides information on housing news, events, recent publications and training and education. 

In this edition you will find details on the Housing Practitioners' conference, the International Social Housing Festival seminar and the research support programme as well as information on the next session of the Housing Agency’s Research Summer Seminar Series, among other things.

This quarter, The Housing Agency hosted and attended a number of events. The Housing Practitioners' Conference 2022 took place on the 26th and 27th of May 2022, a report on the conference is linked below. The Housing Agency partnered with our colleagues in Clúid Housing and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to deliver an in-person and online seminar entitled Cost Rental: A New Approach from Ireland at the International Social Housing Festival on the 16th of June 2022. The Housing Agency in collaboration with the Law Society of Ireland hosted a webinar on Owners' Management Companies was attended by over 600 people.  New research such as Social Housing in Mixed Tenures and the Summary of Social Housing Assessment 2021 is also detailed.

Read the newsletter in full at the provided link.

To subscribe to our newsletter and keep up to date with housing news and events click on this link to subscribe. 

The Housing Agency Housing Insight Series aims to disseminate good practice in housing and innovative solutions among housing practitioners in Ireland. Issues are published quarterly and provide a case study of effective, practical implementation of a piece of housing policy or practice. The resulting short paper is intended to provide a knowledge base and provide ideas to others in the sector, building the overall capacity of the sector. The Housing Agency sources case-studies from our staff, The Housing Agency panels, housing practioners and stakeholders. This first issue of the Housing Insights Series was published in May 2022 on the topic of Homeless Services in the South-East Region of Ireland and can be found on our website.

This Housing Agency Policy Insights paper describes the changes introduced since 2018 in the South-East region which have resulted in local authorities, homelessness service providers, the HSE and other stakeholders working together to provide a more effective, integrated service. This paper also describes some key innovative solutions introduced in the region to tackle homelessness. The purpose of this paper is to showcase good practice in the implementation of homeless policy. In particular, this paper highlights the importance of good management structures and collaborative working.

You can access and read the full report here: Homelessness in the South East - Full Report

On the 16th June, the International Social Housing Festival was held in Helsinki, Finland. The Housing Agency partnered with our colleagues in Clúid Housing and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to deliver an in-person and online seminar entitled Cost Rental: A New Approach from Ireland. We were also delighted to welcome a panel of international cost rental experts from Austria, Denmark and Finland.

Part 1: From Concept to Delivery - The Cost Rental journey

• Welcome and introduction - Roslyn Molloy, Head of Policy & Practice, The Housing Agency
• Ireland’s housing environment and policy context which supported the development of Cost Rental - Alan Smyth, Assistant Principal, Affordable Purchase and Cost Unit, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
• Operating Irish Cost Rental Scheme - Gwen Perry, Head of Affordable Housing, The Housing Agency
   

Part 2: The Irish Cost Rental model compared to International models - Panel Discussion

Moderated by Dara Turnbull, Research Coordinator, Housing Europe

Speakers:

• Gerlinde Gutheil-Knopp-Kirchwald, Austrian Federation of Limited Profit Housing Association
• Jaana Naro, President of the Finnish Affordable Housing Companies’ Federation- Kova and CEO of Helsinki City Housing Company
• Solveig Raberg Tingey, Deputy CEO, BL-Danish Federation of Non-Profit Housing Federation
• Fiona Dunkin, Policy Manager, Clúid Housing 
   

Part 3: Lessons from an Irish Housing Association providing new Cost Rental homes

• Lessons on delivering cost rental homes in Ireland to inform future delivery - James O'Halloran, Senior Supply Manager, Clúíd Housing

• The impact of living in Cost Rental Homes -Results from research with new residents on the impact of living in their new cost rental homes in Ireland - Fiona Dunkin, Policy Manager, Clúid Housing 

Close - Roslyn Molloy, Head of Policy & Practice, The Housing Agency

If you were unable to attend the event, would like to rewatch the seminar or share with colleagues a recording of the full lecture is now available to view online, on our youtube channel. 

The Housing Agency’s Research Summer Seminar Series will highlight new and interesting research in the area of housing in Ireland and will showcase research conducted, or supported by The Housing Agency. This series will bring together a variety of academics, practitioners, and public servants. The series will be of interest to housing practitioners, academics, legislators, policy makers, academics, and all those working in the housing, local government, justice and equality sectors.

There will be three lunchtime webinars as follows:

Session 1: Experiences of Renting in Ireland (took place on the 9th June)

The first session of the Research Summer Series is on the topic of renting in Ireland, with a particular focus of the private rented sector. This webinar will feature insights from Dr. Richard Waldron, of Queen’s University Belfast, who will discuss housing precarity and “generation rent.” Anne Murphy, Research Analyst at the Housing Agency, will look at The Housing Agency’s national study of Irish housing experiences, focusing on the difference between renters and homeowners.

You can watch the event back on our YouTube channel. 

Dr. Richard Waldron: Generation Rent

This presentation connects debates within the Generation Rent literature with more recent work on housing precarity, or the uncertainty arising from the experience of insecure, unaffordable and poor-quality housing. The article develops and applies a Housing Precarity Index (HPI) to data on private renters in Ireland to provide a nuanced account of the extent and severity of precarities in the Irish rental sector among differing sub-groups during a housing market crash and “recovery” period (2008 - 2016). The article identifies the key drivers of housing precarity and assesses their contribution to further declining living standards among renters into the future.

Richard Waldron is a lecturer in the School of Natural and Built Environment at Queen’s University Belfast. His research relates to the intersection of urban planning policy, housing markets and strategies of urban economic development. His work has been published in leading journals, including Housing Studies, the International Journal of Urban and Regional Research and Environment and Planning A.

Anne Murphy: The housing experiences and aspirations series: focus on renters 2020

This presentation will cover The Housing Agency’s national study series of Irish housing experiences, attitudes and aspirations, which has been running since 2018. It will share findings about renters’ housing experiences compared with owners, using the 2020 data.

Anne Murphy joined the Agency as a Research Analyst in September 2020 and has worked on a range of research projects. The main focus of Anne’s work is the Agency’s behaviours and attitudes national survey series. Before joining the Agency, Anne managed a medical library, was an information specialist on systematic review teams and served for over a decade on a Health Research Ethics Committee

Session 2 of the Research Summer Series will be held on the 28^th July and will relate to Local Authorities. This session will feature a presentation on Tenant Engagement from Dr. Padraic Kenna of NUI Galway, and a session on Void Management by Campbell Tickell. You can register for this event here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_c1sINDSHTdeAzcLYTVqF7A

The third session of the Summer Series will be held on the 15^th September. More details to follow.

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, TD, and the Chief Executive of The Housing Agency, Bob Jordan, today launched a call for Expressions of Interest in the Government’s proposed Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Scheme, which aims to increase supply of owner-occupier apartments and provide those who wish to purchase a home with a greater choice. The Scheme is expected to deliver up to 5,000 additional apartments for individuals seeking to buy a home in the five cities of Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford. It will also support the Government’s objectives of compact growth and creating vibrant liveable cities for people who want to live close to work and urban amenities.

Under the proposed scheme, a major initiative in Housing for All, the Government’s housing plan to 2030, a viability fund will help kick-start construction of apartment schemes in the five cities of Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, and Waterford, activating some of the estimated 70,000 un-commenced planning permissions across the country. The figure for un-commenced permissions in Dublin is approximately 40,000, which is about four years of housing supply in the capital.

Building on the evidence provided in successive reports by the Society of Chartered Surveyors and others, the Scheme is targeting the activation of existing planning permissions for apartment developments over four-storeys high that cost more to build than they can be sold for to individual buyers. The Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Scheme will bridge the viability gap for those developments deemed to meet the eligibility criteria and the support is only payable at the point of final conveyance to an eligible owner-occupier. The Government has allocated €450 million for the Scheme up to 2026.

The Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Scheme will be managed by The Housing Agency on behalf of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Over the next six weeks The Housing Agency will be accepting Expressions of Interest from proposers for eligible schemes.

Commenting on the planned scheme, Minister O’Brien said:

“Increasing supply is key to improving the housing market. The objective of Croí Cónaithe (Cities) Scheme is to increase the supply of apartments for people to buy and live in, in cities. It’s about giving people who wish to buy a home and live in cities more choice, in turn making our cities more vibrant. This initiative supports the Government’s aim of compact growth and tackling climate change by providing housing in our urban cores rather than through urban sprawl.

Right now, there are many planning permissions for apartments in cities that have not been activated due to a viability gap between the cost of delivering an apartment and the market value for them. This time-bound targeted measure will help activate planning permissions and provide badly needed supply. Increasing the supply of owner-occupier apartments also frees up housing in the rental sector and can reduce pressure on the rental market. This scheme, in conjunction with the Government’s other initiatives such as Help-to-Buy and the soon to be announced First Home Shared Equity Scheme will mean that city living will become a reality for people.”

The Housing Agency’s Chief Executive, Bob Jordan, said:

“It is really important to provide opportunities for individuals and families to buy and live in apartments in our cities. “The Housing Agency looks forward to supporting the implementation of the Croí Cónaithe (Cities) scheme. Over the next six weeks we will be inviting expressions of interest for eligible apartment developments.”

Expressions of interest close on 21st June 2022. More information can be found at: https://www.housingagency.ie/CroiConaitheCities

The Government has submitted a pre-notification of the Scheme to the European Commission, in accordance with European Commission State Aid approvals processes.

The Housing Agency, in collaboration with The Law Society of Ireland, recently presented a webinar delivering insights into the Housing for All actions to reform owners’ management companies (OMCs).

With apartment living on the rise, this recording will be of interest to a wide audience including legal and housing practitioners, property management professionals, and other stakeholders in the multi-unit developments (MUDs) and OMC sector.

Expert speakers explored Housing for All actions for regulation in relation to service charges, sinking funds, and dispute resolution in MUDs.

All information is correct as of broadcast date. The views expressed in the recording below do not necessarily represent the views of The Housing Agency.

Broadcast date: 4 May 2022.

Click below to watch the recording of the webinar:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pbu-gQkkkc0

Vacancies on the Pyrite Resolution Board

This Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage invites applications from suitably qualified candidates to fill the position of Chairperson and three Ordinary Member positions on the Pyrite Resolution Board. 

Details of these vacancies and how to apply can be found on the Public Appointments Service website StateBoards.ie.

Webinar: Owners’ management companies- a discussion of legal reform under Housing for All

The Housing Agency in collaboration with the Law Society of Ireland presents insights on the Housing for All actions to reform owners’ management companies (OMCs).

Expert panellists Suzanne Bainton, Paul Mooney, and Rory O’Donnell will explore Housing for All actions for regulation in relation to service charges, sinking funds, and dispute resolution in multi-unit developments (MUDs).

This event will be of interest to a wide audience including legal and housing practitioners, property management professionals, and other stakeholders in the MUDs and OMC sector. 

The one-hour webinar will take place at 12.30pm on Wednesday 4 May 2022.

Registration is free of charge and is via this Zoom link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HVmXxJ85TG65A9tNWVR0yA

Attendance at the live event carries one hour’s CPD for Law Society members.

Webinar Programme

- Introduction & background

- Panellists' insights on Housing for All actions

- Panel discussion and online Q&A.

Questions for panellists for the Q&A may be emailed to MUD@housingagency.ie

The session will be recorded for future use.

Places are limited to 1,000 attendees on a first-come first-served basis.

We are delighted to announce that booking and registration for the 2022 Housing Practitioners’ Conference is now open and you can register at the details provided below. This Conference will take place as an in-person event this year for the first time since 2019.

The 2022 Conference will take place in the Grand Hotel Malahide on Thursday, May 26th and a half day on Friday, May 27th.

The Conference is being organised as a joint-initiative between the Institute of Public Administration and the Housing Agency.

Programme

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, will open the Conference which will involve a day and a half of expert speakers and workshops discussing best practice and policy on housing, under the umbrella of Housing for All: Supply, Sustainability and Capacity.

The full programme can be found at this link: PROGRAMME LINK

Registration/Booking

You can book your place at the conference at the link provided here: REGISTRATION LINK.

To book your place you will need your contact email address, a Purchase Order Number and an email address for invoicing.

The cost of attending is €320 per person (not including accommodation).

For every 5 participants that are booked to attend, a 6th participant can attend for free.

Accommodation

Accommodation at the Grand Hotel Malahide can be booked separately at a reduced rate and a link to do so will be provided in the coming days.

There are also a number of alternative accommodation options in the vicinity of Malahide and we will forward a list of them for your convenience in due course.

Please forward these details to any colleagues who may be interested in attending.

If you have any queries please don’t hesitate to contact us. We look forward to seeing you at the conference.

Summary Report

A Summary Report of the conference can be read here.