Landlords urged to take up council deal

MAYOR Hubert Keaney is encouraging property owners to take part in the Housing Repair and Leasing scheme.

The scheme is open to owners of houses and apartments that have being vacant for at least one year and which require an amount of repairs to bring the property to the required standard for rented properties.

He said: “The properties have to be in an area where there is a demand for social housing. The repairs and improvement works are to be funded by the local authority in return for the property being made available for social housing through a lease for a period of at least 10 years. The cost of the works is deducted from the lease(rent) payments over an agreed period. The maximum cost of repairs allowed under the scheme is €40,000. The scheme offers the property owner the opportunity to have a secured finance scheme to bring their property into commercial use and to have a rental income once the property is occupied.”