Changes to Tenant Purchase (Incremental) Scheme coming on 1st February 2022.
Please contact Tenant Purchase Office for more details.
How does it work?
Under this scheme, you can apply to Galway City Council to buy your local authority house. If approved, you must continue to live in the house for as long as you own it. You will get a discount on the price of the house based on your income.
Galway City Council will also place a charge on your house called an 'incremental purchase charge'. This charge will be equal to the discount you get on the price of the house. The charge will remain in place for 20, 25 or 30 years (depending on the discount given). Each year, Galway City Council will reduce the charge by 2%. At the end of the 20, 25 or 30 years, the charge will be zero as long as you obey the terms and conditions of the scheme.
You will be able to resell your house at any time if Galway City Council agrees. However, if you sell before the end of the 20, 25 or 30 years, you will have to pay back the value of the outstanding charge on your house to Galway City Council.
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Can I apply?
You can apply for the scheme if you meet the following criteria:
- Finance - you have the necessary finance in place to purchase the property (via own funds/savings or mortgage approval with a bank/lending institution)
- Social Housing support - you must have been getting social housing support for at least 10 years
- Income - you must have an annual income of at least €12,500, part of which must be from employment income
- Anti-social behaviour - no-one living in your house can be engaged in anti-social behaviour
- Arrears - you must not have been behind in your rent or Galway City Council charges for more than 12 weeks in the past three years. If you were, you must have made a payment arrangement with Galway City Council and be following that arrangement. Your application will be accepted, however, it will not be processed until all arrears are cleared.
- You must not have bought a house under an earlier tenant purchase scheme
- Water charges - you must have paid your water charges
For further information on the scheme please see attached booklet:
Tenant Purchase Information Booklet
Application Form to purchase your home can be downloaded from here:
Tenant (Incremental) Purchase Scheme 2016 Application Form English/Irish
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Contact: Tenant Purchase Section
Email: housing@galwaycity.ie or by letter addressed to:
Tenant Purchase Section,
Galway City Council
City Hall,
College Road,
Galway