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Housing Assistance
Works in Lieu of Local Authority Housing
Assistance to persons having access to a private site
Provision of low cost serviced sites
Works in Lieu of Local Authority Housing
This scheme enables local authorities to improve or extend privately owned houses occupied or intended to be occupied by an approved applicant for housing as an alternative to the provision of local authority housing.
Do I Qualify?
If you are:
- A person whose application for local authority housing has been approved by the local authority, or
- A local authority tenant or tenant purchaser who wishes to move to a privately owned house and to return your present house to the local authority, or
- A tenant for more than one year of a house provided by a voluntary housing body under the Rental Subsidy Scheme who wishes to move to a privately owned house and to return your present house to the body.
You may apply to Westmeath County Council under this scheme.
What Houses Qualify?
The local authority may carry out improvement works under this scheme to privately owned houses which are:
- Owned by the applicant, where the house is defective or overcrowded for the needs of the applicant, or
- Owned by a relative of the applicant, where the house is defective or would be overcrowded when the applicant moves into the house.
Private rented housing is not eligible under this scheme.
What Works Qualify?
The local authority may carry out any works to eliminate defects in the house or to provide additional accommodation where this is necessary to eliminate overcrowding or to accommodate a person not residing in the house who is approved for local authority housing.
How does the Local Authority choose what Houses to Improve?
The local authority will take into account the urgency of individual housing needs when choosing houses to improve or extend under the scheme. It will also have regard to the cost effectiveness of the proposal.
Why should I consider the Scheme?
The scheme has the advantages that persons in housing need can remain in their existing homes and neighbourhoods and, at the same time, enjoy decent housing conditions sooner than they otherwise might.
What Payments are Involved?
The local authority will pay the full cost of the works carried out to the house. You will pay a reasonable weekly or monthly charge in respect of the local authority’s costs for a maximum of 15 years. If, within the 15 year period, the total of your payments equals the cost to the local authority, the weekly or monthly charge will then cease.
The charge will be calculated in much the same way as differential rents for local authority tenants, on the basis of your income and the cost of the works carried out in accordance with the following formula:
Weekly differential rent multiply by the cost of works divided by €125,000
As an example, if the cost of works to the house was €31,250, you would pay 25% of the amount you would pay under the authority’s differential rents scheme. The charge will vary during the 15 year period to take account of changes in your circumstances and changes in the authority’s rent scheme. The payments are, therefore, related to your ability to pay.
Can I Sell the House?
You can sell the house at any time. However, if the house is sold before the total of your repayments equals the cost of the works or within 15 years of the works being carried out, whichever is the sooner, you must make a repayment to the authority. The amount of that repayment will be 1/15th of the cost of the work for each year between the date of the sale and the expiry of 15 years from completion of the work.
Any queries on this scheme should be directed to the Housing Office, Westmeath County Council, County Buildings, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath – 044 93 32119.
Assistance to persons having access to a private site
This scheme enables us to provide, as an alternative to allocating accommodation from existing stock, housing on lands owned or available to housing applicants.Provision of low cost serviced sites
Local authorities may provide housing sites at low cost to help people in housing need to provide their own housing. The local authority decides the cost of the site; it may be as low as €126.97.
The building costs may be funded by a mortgage from a bank, building society, or if you are eligible, from a local authority, local authority mortgages. The scheme is specifically designed to be used with other housing schemes such as the Shared Ownership Scheme; the Affordable Housing Scheme; and the Mortgage Allowance Scheme.
If the site needs specialised development works to enable construction to go ahead, the local authority may make a financial contribution to these costs.
Rules
If you are:
- registered on a housing waiting list with a local authority
- a local authority tenant or a tenant purchaser and you want to buy a private house and return your present house to the local authority
- a tenant for more than one year of a home provided by a housing association under the Rental Subsidy Scheme and you want to buy a private house and return your present house to the local authority
- a member of a co-operative or non-profit housing group of which at least 75% of the members are tenants, tenant purchasers or registered on the local authority housing waiting list
- a person involved in a group shared ownership project
then you may be able to get a low cost site for the building of a new house.
A group shared ownership project is a housing scheme consisting of shared ownership housing, Shared Ownership Scheme which is sponsored by a local authority or housing co-operative. Low cost sites can be made available by the local authority for all the houses in the scheme whether or not each individual would be eligible.
Selling your house
If you sell your house within 10 years, you will have to pay the local authority the difference between the sale price and the market value of the site. This amount will reduce by 10% each year after that, so if you sell after 20 years, you will not have to pay anything to the local authority.
Where to apply
Housing Office, Westmeath County Council, County Buildings, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath – 044 93 32119.
