Buying your home
If you have been a tenant of Ennis Town Council for at least one year, then you may apply to the council to buy your house under the Tenant Purchase Scheme 1995.
In general, all local authority houses are included, with the exception of houses provided for and occupied by elderly people and flats. Ennis Town Council can exclude houses for reasons of good estate management, because of their structural condition or if they have proposals to carry out remedial works to them.
Apartments or flats
Apartments or flats are not included in the tenant purchase scheme. The price of the house will be its market value as determined by Ennis Town Council in its existing state of repair and condition, minus discounts. The structural condition of the house will be taken into account and any increase in the market value due to improvements you made to the house will be disregarded in calculating the price.
If you disagree with Ennis Town Council's valuation of your house, you can contest it by getting a valuation certificate from a qualified valuer. If there is a significant difference between the original valuation and the valuation submitted by you, then Ennis Town Council will refer it to the valuation office.
Mortgage
You can either get a mortgage with a bank or building society or you can apply to Ennis Town Council for a local authority mortgage. This may be a variable interest rate loan so that repayments will go up or down with general interest rates or the interest rate will be fixed for the first five years of the loan.
Rules
You must have been a tenant of Ennis Town Council for at least one year. You will be allowed a discount of 3% of the value of the house for each year of the tenancy of a local authority house up to a maximum of 10 years plus a further discount of €3,810. Since 1 April 2011, stamp duty is payable on all tenant purchase houses. The maximum payable is €100.
Selling the house
If you want to sell the house within 20 years of the date you bought on or before you have acquired full ownership, you must get the consent of the local authority. Consent to sale forms are available from the housing section.
How to apply
Contact the Housing Department, Ennis Town Council, Waterpark House, Drumbiggle, Ennis, Co. Clare, on (065) 6869555 or download form below and return completed from, along with fee of €120, to the Housing Department, Ennis Town Council, Waterpark House, Drumbiggle, Ennis, Co. Clare:
Page last updated: 02/09/11