offered an apartment under the Dublin City Council Affordable Housing lottery.

G

gillysue

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Hi,

I have been offered an apartment under the Dublin City Council Affordable Housing lottery. Does anyone know how long the process takes once you've been offered a place? What exactly has to be done, any pitfalls?

Thanks.
 
Re: Affordable Housing DCC

what do you mean when you say "offered" ie have you just had your confirmation of lender or have you actually been offered a specific apartment or simply approved?
 
My name was drawn out of the lottery. I have been offered an apartment that i'm going to view this week.
 
yeah but so have i. All they have sent so far is letter saying yu have met the criteria please contact the financial institutions to proceed with nortgage application and that DNG were viewing on Friday. No formal offer of "this one is yours we are offering"
 
I got one saying i have an apartment and where it is. They asked me to make an appointment with the estate agent to view it and if i want to proceed i have to have a loan offer to them within 14 days and a form filled out by the revenue commissioners. I wasn't sure if thats it or if i have to do anything else....
They also said i need to give a cheque for the booking deposit to the estate agent when i view it.
 
Congratulations Gillysue. I am probably too late to give you any tips on what to do next. Hope the viewing went well and that you will be in your new home soon
 
Congratulations Gillysue. I got offered one too just two weeks ago, it was from first draw. Been on list since August 2004.
Got letter some months ago saying I was unsuccessful in draw.
Must have got a cancellation.
Had to deal with an estate agent from Hooke and Macdonald. Don't really trust her (the estate agent). Can't get anything in writing from her. Would like to see in writing what size apt it is, details about car space, maintenance fees. etc.

She said that my apt came with an underground car space when there is an overground car space in a very dodgy part with same no as apartment. She also said she would meet me on Thursday said it was no problem. Then she cancelled after me getting day off work. I was fuming.
I asked her about a patio, balcony or roof terrace as brochure states that all units benefit from a patio, balcony or roof terrace. She said that my apt doesn't come with any of the above.
Anybody have funny dealings with estate agents when it comes to dealing with affordable housing? Is there any authority to deal with dodgy estate agents? Can I request to deal with another estate agent.

Have you accepted the offer yet? How much is your apt costing you?
 
I also dealt with Hooke and McDonald for the apartment I'm buying. I found them very unprofessional. This may or may not be because the apartment has already been bought for the Affordable scheme, and they reckon they don't have to bother putting any work in.

One example is when I organised to have the snag list done. The only time the girl would give me was late in the afternoon. There was no electricity in the apartment and lighting would have been very poor at this time. Eventually the surveyor had to have a word and magically an earlier slot became available. She also never returned calls when promised.

Of course, this kind of stuff might just be what buyers in general have to put up with from time to time.
 
Thanks for your reply. I don't know why we are treated any differently. If I sell apartment before ten years I will have to pay the clawback so technically I get the apartment at the same price as other buyers!
The estate agent would only give me a time for late afternoon. What's she trying to hide??? She couldn't even find the fuse box. My sister eventually showed her how to turn on the lights!!! Some rooms had no lights in them.
Do you know if you can ask if another apartment is available the one I'm looking at doesn't have any privacy! Am wondering if anybody there has rejected one offer in a complex and accepted another in same complex. Basically I love the complex but not where the apartment is situated within complex. Can anybody pm me if they have refused an offer of affordable housing with Dublin City Council/hooke and macdonald within last few weeks?
 
Those of you who were offered apartments ... which newsletter were you offered an apartment from? (e.g. May or November 2006 ... or an earlier draw?)

and affordable was that the first Dublin City draw you had entered?
 
Be very careful with affordable housing. Dodgy deals are being done with developers left right and centre. There's nothing for nothing in this life.
 
Dodgy deals or not it must be remembered that the council when snagging houses or apts expect higher standards than houses sold privately.
 
Don't expect things to move quickly, is my advice.

My name was pulled out in a draw in March 2005. Went to view the apartment in April 2005 (the apartment block was completely finished at this stage). I had my official mortgage approval from BOI about 2 weeks later.

I didn't move in until December 2005 and this was all down to tardiness on the council's behalf. Bureaucracy is rampant e.g. certain documents can only be stamped by a certain person on Tuesdays (no concept of having a deputy do it when they are off). At one point my case had to be approved by a board which only sits monthly (surely a formality since I'd already received approval for the scheme) and the Housing Dept forgot to include my documents, which delayed everything by a month.

In particular, their legal department were extremely slow. They consistently did not return calls to my solicitor. They didn't answer written queries. They also forgot to include various legal documents, undertakings etc when posting stuff through to my solicitor. And at the end the council solicitor said he had done my solicitor a favour by pushing it through so quickly... (7-8 months = quickly?!?).

The council were also no help whatsoever in getting snags resolved. I faxed through 2 snag lists and followed up with phone calls. Heard nothing more about them. I had much more success dealing directly with the Developer myself.

The one thing that really annoyed me is that the Housing Dept did not manage my expectations throughout this process at all. Every time I phoned them (approx weekly/fortnightly from April to August ) they said everything should be complete within another few weeks and I should be able to move in then. If they had told me that it could be several months before all the paperwork was completed by the council at least I could have put the whole thing to the back of my mind for a while.
 
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Hi,
I received a provisional offer letter Mid August and I will be closing and getting my keys this week!! I have been on the affordable housing since 2005

My unit looked like it was nearly done when I viewed it and picked it but it still took a long time and 3 snag list later it is complete.

The truth is with all new developments you will be given a date of completion but don't pay any attention to this as it will always take much longer, I think these dates are given just as an guesstimation, to keep you happy as no one wants to wait over a year for their new gaff.

I ended up going with the bank for my mortgage and not the council. You get yourself a private solicitor and all dealings between you and the house/developer are done through your solicitor and theirs. They will tell your solicitor when the unit is ready for snagging. It is a waiting game but just think of the money you can save! The council will be part of it until you decide if you want to stay with the council and get a mortgage/shared ownership off them or go privately through a bank....if it's the latter then that's the end of all association, besides the clawback when you sell the house, with the council.

There were people picking their units at the same time as me and their units had not even started to be built....so it does take some time!!

Anyway good luck, you'll get there eventually. The scariest part is trying to get that mortgage!!
 
Hi ya

Just found this site and got a an offer yesterday and I need advice. Im really thinking of withdrawing. I have less than 2 weeks to get loan approval. Havent seen the apt yet. Im really thinking of withdrawing. I need to get P60s and all these revenue forms and morgage approval in less than 2 weeks. Is this possible

please let me know

Nicnic
 
don't drop out! you've been so lucky to get this opportunity that you should do everything in your power to get this apartment. take a day or two off work if possible and get all your forms together. call into your local revenue office and wait until they produce the cert you need. the main thing is to use the form they sent you and just make sure you get everything into them, start with what you think will be the most difficult form to get and then work you way through the list. you can definitely get all the items in the time specified. don't panic. and congratulations!
 
Weird I feel more panic than happy but thanks for the reply.

I am seriously thinking about dropping out. I would need to get all the documents submitted for this Friday and I havent even seen the apt yet. Maybe its me and Im not prepared but 2 weeks from the date of the letter is not a long time.

I cant get a P60 yet as work will only provide one after payroll next week.

There probably is someone who is more prepared than me
 
I would ring DCC up and have a chat with someone there in Affordable housing to try and ease some of that panic.
 
cant in work at mo. Dont have any privacy.

It is great to be offered but how the hell am I meant to get everything in time. Maybe its my own fault.
 
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