Almost one in six social housing refusals 'unreasonable'

By Rebekah O'Reilly

A rise in social housing refusals was raised as a concern at this week’s October meeting of the Athlone-Moate Municipal District.

A motion, brought forward by Cllr Aengus O’Rourke, called for the Municipal District “to discuss the current policy whereby applicants on the housing list may refuse one offer of social housing without that decision impacting their standing on the list, even when the reason for refusal is deemed to be ‘unreasonable’ by housing staff.”

The Fianna Fáil councillor noted that 14 out of 88 refusals of social housing this year had been deemed unreasonable by housing staff. Giving examples of such refusals, Cllr O’Rourke said some applicants had turned down houses because they were “in a council estate,” “did not have a back garden,” or because the applicant “wanted one of the new houses”.

Cllr O’Rourke said he was increasingly concerned about the rise in refusals, given the ongoing housing crisis.

“I think there is an unfairness to it,” he said. “Every time someone refuses a house, there are consequences for others on the list. The issue is that people will say they have a right to one refusal.

“This isn’t about punishing people for having legitimate reasons - there will always be applicants with valid grounds for refusal. If someone has a valid medical, accessibility, or personal reason, these are assessed by our experienced housing staff and must be respected.”

He added that when dealing with refusals, he encourages applicants to accept an offer first, as “they can always apply for a transfer later if they’re not happy”.

As a possible solution, Cllr O’Rourke suggested that “people should be told to find a HAP route if they refuse a house for unreasonable reasons".

The motion received broad support from fellow members, including Mayor Cllr Vinny McCormack, Cllr John Dolan, and Cllr Frankie Keena.

“It is frustrating,” said Cllr Keena. “There are so many people who are grasping for a house, and others on the list are holding out for a new build.”

Cllr Dolan said it “never ceases to amaze” him that some applicants would refuse housing for trivial reasons.

“When you have a housing crisis, you can’t be cherry-picking,” he said, adding: “What happens then is people present to the housing office as homeless after being offered a perfectly suitable house.”

Cllr McCormack said it was “unbelievable” that anyone would refuse a house “in times such as these”.

“I didn’t think the problem was becoming as widespread as it is in terms of housing allocations,” he said. “Of course, there are legitimate reasons to refuse an offer, based on medical needs, where it may not be suitable. But we have all heard of cases like that, where people want a garden, or they don't want to raise their family in an apartment."

Offering a potential policy change, Cllr McCormack suggested that after one refusal, an applicant should be removed from the housing list for 12 months, and after a second refusal, for three years.

“Anything to toughen it up, to make people think more carefully before refusing, because it causes delays for others.”

Responding to the discussion, Director of Services Jackie Finney said the council’s hands are tied when it comes to changing the rules, as the housing list is governed by national legislation.

“We appreciate the support of the members on this issue,” she said. “You know how much work goes into housing allocations, and the delays caused by refusals.

"Applicants are not always aware of the process, and people’s expectations can be high. The issue will be raised at the Housing Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) in November.”

Cllr O’Rourke also requested that a note on the issue of unreasonable housing refusals be sent to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne.

Funded by the Local Democracy Scheme