Applying for Affordable housing if you already own a house

[thejuggler]

My wife and I have recently seen an advert for an affordable housing scheme and our combined income falls within the required limit for the scheme.

Are we eligable to apply for it given that we already own our own home or would this be a waste of time?
We want to move to the area where the scheme is being built but there have been no new developments around here for many years so the affordable housing route seems to be the only way to get a new house.

 

[abbie]

No offence the juggler, but would you not give the young people starting off on lower incomes the opportunity to get one of these houses - I'm sure you will make a fairly big enough profit if you went to sell your own.

 

[ClubMan]

From (my underlining):

The Affordable Housing Scheme is a scheme in Ireland that aims to help lower income households to buy their own homes. The Scheme allows lower-income house buyers the chance to buy newly constructed homes and apartments in areas where property prices have created an affordability gap for lower income house buyers. These properties are then offered for sale to eligible first-time purchasers at prices significantly less than their actual market value.

I believe (and indeed hope!) that this scheme is aimed at those who don't already own any property.

 

[thejuggler]

OK I didn't realise that this scheme was solely aimed at first time buyers. The advert I read didn't make this clear.

 

[kazbah]

Surely common sense would dictate that it would be pointless to have an affordable housing scheme for non FTBers!

 

[Gordanus]

How about for people moving to Dublin from, say, Leitrim (where the average house price is under 200K)? Or for people who are splitting up from their partner?

 

[ClubMan]

How about for people moving to Dublin from, say, Leitrim (where the average house price is under 200K)?

If they are not FTBs then presumably they don't qualify.

Or for people who are splitting up from their partner?

In certain respects individuals who were married but split up from their partner and don't retain the family home are treated as FTBs (e.g. stamp duty etc.). Perhaps this also applies in the case of affordable housing schemes?

 

[Sherman]

How about for people moving to Dublin from, say, Leitrim (where the average house price is under 200K)?

Sure why doesn't the government give everyone moving to Dublin from the country a grant?

I think the point is that the affordable housing scheme is aimed at those who have never owned their own houses, and in all likelihood never could. There is also a community dimension to the scheme, in that one has a better chance of getting a house through it if one lives in the area one is applying to.