Finding a Home

How to apply for Council Housing

How to apply for Council Housing

The Housing Allocations Section deals with the provision of housing to people who have been assessed under the Council’s Allocation Scheme and are deemed eligible for social housing support. Eligible applicants are placed on the Council’s Housing List in order of date of application and progress on a ‘Time on List’ basis i.e. the next applicant on the list is allocated the next available house. Social Housing support means Council owned, RAS, Leased and Voluntary Housing Association dwellings.

In order to apply for social housing you should apply through our housing online system Housing Online - SDCC

Fully completed applications will be assessed by the Allocations section.  Incomplete applications will be returned. Please ensure all required documentation are uploaded to housing online.

• Am I eligible for Council Housing?
• Housing Area
• What documents do I need?
• What happens after I submit my application?
• How long will it take before I get offered housing?
• What size of accommodation will I be eligible for?
• Where am I on the housing list?
• Can I express my interest in a vacant property?
• What happens if I refuse an offer of housing?
• How can I change information on my application?
• Related Documents/Application Forms

Am I eligible for Council Housing?

Criteria for eligibility for Council housing are included in the Council's Allocation Scheme. 

Eligibility criteria include:

• Need-You must be in genuine need of housing and be unable to provide accommodation from your own resources
• Right to live in Ireland-You must have a legal right to remain in the State on a long term basis
• Age-You must be 18 years of age or older
• Local Area Connection-You must reside in the functional area or have a local area connection to the functional area of South Dublin County Council. For more details please see the Allocation Scheme.
• Income–Your household net income must be equal to or less than the thresholds below:-

Note: Household net income includes the income of all household members 18 years and older.

Please note the following:

 There is a maximum cap of 3 adults allowable of €44,000. 

 There is no cap on the number of children per application, please note there is an additional €1,000 allowable per child.  

Note:

• Single adults, with no dependents, may be eligible if they are sharing a bedroom in their current accommodation.  
• Ex-Tenants (of LAs or VHAs) who surrendered within the last 1 year are not eligible.
• Ex-Tenants who were evicted within the last 2 years are not eligible.
• Non-EEA citizens must have Garda National Immigration Bureau card (Green Card) with a Stamp 4 status – 5 years reckonable residency is required, this can be made up from a stamp 1, 3, 4 or 5 – this can be historical or extending to a future date.  
• Asylum Seekers are not eligible for social housing support.
• If the applicant is a “former asylum seeker”, who has been given “leave to remain” and a Stamp 4, the application may be accepted for assessment regardless of prior length of residence, provided the applicant has
  • A current Stamp 4 in their passport
  • A letter from the Department of Justice giving leave to remain on foot of the applicant’s representations under section 3 of the Immigration Act, 1999.
• EEA citizens must be:-
  • Employed/self-employed
  • Where not currently working/employed it is because:-
    • They are temporarily unable to work because of illness/accident; 
    • They are recorded as involuntarily unemployed after having been employed for longer than a year
• Homeowners in general are not eligible – if separated, legal documents must clarify status of family home (in some cases where the issue of the family home is still to be resolved, applicant may be eligible for Housing Assistant Payment). For further information, please see section 22/23 of the Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 -S.I. No. 84/2011.
• Tenants of other Local Authorities / Voluntary Housing Bodies etc. are considered to have their housing need already met by the state, unless there are extenuating circumstances. 

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Housing Areas

You may apply to one Local Authority only. If you are applying to South Dublin County Council you can choose up to three housing areas in the Dublin region, at least one of which must be in South Dublin.
Your other two areas may be in Dublin City, Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown County or Fingal County. If you opt for an area in any other county, we will forward your information to the housing authorities chosen. South Dublin County Council will be the file manager of your application. Changes to areas of choice may be made once in any twelve month period by completing Area Of Choice Form.

What documents do I need? 

A full list of all documentation needed is in the “Checklist for applicants” section of the application form. Support documents include:

• Photo ID for all household members 18 years and older
• Income details for all household members 18 years and older (P60, P21 and payslips/social welfare receipts)
• HPL1 form (Tax form) for all household members 18 years and older* (please see note below on HPL1 form requirement during COVID-19)
• PPS No. for all household members on the application
• Birth Certificates for all household members on the application (translated into English if applicable) 
• Child Benefit information (if applicable)
• Confirmation of current address e.g. Lease/Tenancy Agreement/Rent Book
• Marriage certificates (if applicable)
• Separation/Divorce document or letter from a solicitor stating none in place (if applicable, please see application form for further details)
• Property/Land ownership details (if applicable)

COVID-19: HPL1 Temporary Process

Social Housing applicants should note that in light of the COVID-19 emergency, a temporary alternate arrangement has been put in place that will remove the need to have to obtain a physically completed HPL1 form from Revenue, either in person, by post, or by Revenue’s online systems ROS/MyAccount. Instead, an applicant can request that the local authority undertake an electronic process to obtain the information from the Revenue Commissioners. Persons who wish to avail of this option should contact the Council and request that the relevant HPL1 information is obtained on their behalf by the local authority.

What happens after I submit my application?

Your application and support documentation will be assessed by the allocations team, due to the volume of applications received this may take some time. Once your application has been assessed you will receive correspondence from the council to inform you whether or not you have been assessed as eligible. If you are eligible, you will receive information on Choice Based Letting (CBL) and Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) with this correspondence. 

How long will it take before I get offered housing?

Unfortunately this cannot be determined. There is a long list of applicants awaiting social housing support and applicants are housed in order of date of application i.e. the next applicant on the list gets the next available and appropriate social housing support. Housing area chosen and participation in CBL can also impact the length of time on the list as more vacancies arise in certain areas, e.g. more vacancies arise Tallaght South than Terenure/Rathfarnham.

What size accommodation will I be eligible for?

Applicants are placed on the list for certain size of dwelling in accordance with their family size at present, i.e. if a family composition determines a 3 bedroom dwelling – applicants may be considered for a house/apartment/duplex/bungalow with 3 bedrooms.  The table below shows accommodation sizes.

Applicants who are separated parents with partial legal custody/access arrangements will be eligible, upon production of relevant legal documentation for an additional bedroom.

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Where am I on the housing list?

We do not disclose this information as the Choice Based Letting scheme (CBL) is the Council’s primary method of housing allocation since October 2011. Choice Based Letting allows all eligible applicants to express an interest in advertised properties, the applicant longest on the Housing List of those who expresses interest will be offered the property (subject to Garda check, etc.). Applicants on the Housing List should consult the Council’s designated website on a weekly basis in order to check for suitable advertised properties. The successful applicant, will be contacted immediately and offered the advertised property (subject to Garda check, etc.). If the applicant has not been successful they will not be contacted by the Allocations Section and will be able to apply for the next set of advertised properties.

Can I express my interest in any properties I know to be vacant?

All properties are allocated in accordance with the Council’s Allocation Scheme. CBL is the Council’s primary method of housing allocation, therefore applicants on the Housing List should consult the Council’s designated website on a weekly basis in order to check for suitable advertised properties.

What happens if I refuse an offer of housing?

Should you refuse two offers of housing within a twelve month period your application will be suspended for twelve months. Your application will be re-activated after this period however this suspension will not count as time on the housing list. You will not be on the Council’s Housing List for the suspension period and will not have access to Choice Based Letting or eligible for any social housing support. Your entitlement to Supplementary Rent Allowance may also be affected.

How can I change information on my application?

Any change in your application must be notified to the Council on specified forms which are available below.  Changes include –

Change of address- Form below

Adding a child- Form below

Adding a partner- Form below

Change of income- Updated income details to be submitted (Payslip/social welfare receipts)

Removing a member of the household – Written notice and confirmation of new address of person to be removed.

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