Families living in a Ballymacool estate in Letterkenny have said they are in the “worst position yet” after receiving notices to vacate their homes in 90 days.
Weeks before Christmas 2023, residents of nine houses in The Forest estate learned their homes were being put up on the market by property company Twin Estates.
The company has since been in negotiation with the council over the purchase of some of the properties under the Tenant-in-Situ scheme.
This morning, some residents reported receiving a determination order from the Residential Tenancies Board instructing that their notice of termination still stands and that they must give up their homes.
Meanwhile, Donegal County Council is seeking clarification on new Tenant In Situ scheme restrictions. The scheme allows local authorities to buy properties where tenants are facing eviction and qualify for supports such as Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS).
However, the new criteria would leave just two of the nine houses in The Forest qualifying for the scheme.
After receiving today’s RTB order a resident of The Forest told Donegal Daily: “As of today we are currently in the worst position. We have 90 days to leave the property which means if council will not have an answer soon we end up Lord knows where. I have no idea what to do at this stage.”
Mayor of Letterkenny-Milford Gerry McMonagle says it’s a worrying time for tenants who are down to the wire.
“The council has sought clarification from the Housing Minister’s office around the tenant in situ scheme but the legislation probably won’t be passed until the end of the month because he’s out of the country with St. Patrick’s Day.”
Cllr McMonagle said much of the delays are down to legislation around defective blocks and testing regimes, which leaves the council unable to sign off on purchasing the homes.
“The council is also awaiting the defective block reports, which have been with the council for quite a while, but they haven’t got an update report from the engineer. That is holding things up,” he explained.
“In fairness to the vendor, he has been dealing with the council since 2023 and is probably fairly frustrated at this stage because we are no further forward. He did offer alternative accommodation to the people involved. To date, no one has taken that.”
Cllr McMonagle said that his heart goes out to the families involved.
“It’s worrying and something the council needs to look at and do better, if we are being honest
“It’s going on too long and in the middle of all this is families. They are going into a market now that is very volatile, with the high cost of rents.”
The Mayor said he has contacted the council to ask what supports it can give to tenants, such as help with deposits, to prevent them from presenting as homeless.
“We have 90 days now to try and help and assist these families and we should use this time wisely.
“My advice to the families is to make the council aware of their current situation and flag it up and I will continue to flag it up with the council for us to give whatever assistance we can.”
