Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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361. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if individual local authorities have any discretion in terms of social housing tenants being able to transfer into a property, whether AHB or council owned, in a different local authority area. [22852/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Requests for housing transfers are considered solely by the relevant local authority concerned in accordance with that authority’s allocation scheme, which is made by the elected members under section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and in compliance with Social Housing Allocation Regulations 2011, as amended.

Allocation schemes shall apply to dwellings owned or under the control of local authorities, as well as dwellings provided by Approved Housing Bodies with Exchequer funding.

Local authorities are responsible for assessing housing applicants, taking into account factors such as the condition and affordability of existing accommodation, medical and compassionate grounds, etc. The authority then prioritises the needs of approved applicants in accordance with its allocation scheme. Ultimately, it is a matter for the local authority to decide the conditions to be met in relation to transfer applications.

Some local authorities have provisions in their allocation schemes for inter-authority and mutual transfers for sitting tenants whereby the authority is prepared to accommodate applications provided certain criteria are met. Such arrangements are entirely a matter for the local authorities concerned.