What is punishment for renting affordable house ?

  • Thread starter joe_byrne123
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joe_byrne123

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Hi, I put my name on the list for the affordable housing scheme about a year ago. To be honest I mostly forget about it until I got a call this week from Fingal council saying there were house in Balbriggan I might be interested in. I went out to view the houses and am interested. However since putting my name on the register I have planned to go travelling for 12 months in Oz.

Ideally I would like to purchase house and rent it out while I am travelling so I have something to come back to. I know on affordable housing you can't rent but what exactly do the council do if they find out you are renting an affordable house ? Surely they can't take the house back ? I know I am being selfish etc. but this is Ireland 2005 I suppose.
Thanks,
Joe
 
I presume that the contract for purchase of an affordable housing property or the lease that attaches to it states the constraints on renting the property out and/or the penalties applying if this happens. I take it that you want to be apprised of the details in this context and are not actually looking for assistance in illegally circumventing the rules that apply. However if, in fact, you are looking for the latter then chances are this thread will be deleted.
 
I was not actually looking for ways to illegally circumvent my contract. Just wondering if anyone knew what the punishment is, not ways to avoid being caught.
 
joe_byrne123 said:
Hi, I put my name on the list for the affordable housing scheme about a year ago. To be honest I mostly forget about it until I got a call this week from Fingal council saying there were house in Balbriggan I might be interested in. I went out to view the houses and am interested. However since putting my name on the register I have planned to go travelling for 12 months in Oz.

Ideally I would like to purchase house and rent it out while I am travelling so I have something to come back to. I know on affordable housing you can't rent but what exactly do the council do if they find out you are renting an affordable house ? Surely they can't take the house back ? I know I am being selfish etc. but this is Ireland 2005 I suppose.
Thanks,
Joe
Click to expand...

if you are only going for one year I don't think it would be worth you while renting it out... don't forget you will have to pay invester stamp duty and tax on the rental income... plus the risk of loosing your house...
 
As far as I remember from looking at this a while back you might have to pay the full market value, as opposed to the discounted 'affordable' price you paid, if you are found to be renting it out/sell it on before a specified time period.

Check it out on the relevant council's website - that should explain sanctions etc.
 
Why not explain your predicament and ask for your position in the queue to be put back by a year?
Or ask the question....I am planning to visit Australia in 6 months time for a year.....can I sublet for this period of time? People must be able to take holidays, look after an elderly relative etc. without being penalised by being made pay motgage on a property they do not live in.
I understand the whole purpose of this type of housing but you should not be penalised with draconian laws. I would say that they either allow you to slip down the queue or allow the sublet. It only seems fair (except to those in the queue behind you) imo.
 
I have never come across anything in the documentation on affordable housing which says you can't rent it out. I have looked at this on a few sites (comhairle.ie, Threshold, Some Co Co sites) and found no mention of renting. Though it should be logical that they can't be rented. However I don't know the position regarding taking in a lodger.
 
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