Making Ireland Fairer
Affordable homes
Many of us have faced difficulties in securing a mortgage adequate enough to purchase a place in which we would like to live.
The Social and Affordable housing provisions in the Planning and Development Act 2000 have not worked well enough yet.
Now in order to qualify for an "affordable" dwelling you can earn up to 55,000 Euros/year. Most graduates would not earn such an income for many years after they graduate.
Yet even if you do earn that much, your wait for an "affordable" house or flat in an area you would like to live in could last many, many years.
More needs to be done to promote Shared Ownership. The Notting Hill Housing Trust model in the UK is an excellent one. Dublin City Council, on the other hand, has a shared ownership scheme that means you must find a two+ bedroom place for under 235,000 Euros in Dublin if you would like it to purchase it for you and give you a share in its ownership proportionate to your ability to pay. But where in Dublin can you find a two bedroom for 235,000 Euros?
I will promote realistic shared ownership limits for housing in Ireland, so anyone with a full-time job can begin to buy and increase their share in the property as their income rises.
