Too small, no garden, ‘unsuitable’ location and bad internet: Why more than 5,000 social homes were rejected

An average of one in five offers were turned down, with almost 25,000 offers of social housing made across 2021 and 2022.

As many as two in five offers were refused last year alone, according to a county-by-county breakdown.

Reasons for offers being refused included houses being too small, lacking in garden or parking space, or being located too close to an ex-partner.

Lack of storage for motorbikes and bedrooms being too small were also among the reasons for nearly 5,100 social housing offers being refused in 2021 and 2022.

Kildare had the highest rate of declined offers, with 38pc of homes refused.

Apartments or duplexes being offered instead of houses is one of the most common reasons for refusals.

People on council waiting lists also complained that homes being offered were in areas known for anti-social behaviour.

Leitrim County Council said in some cases homes were turned down as they are “too close to an ex-partner”.

Reasons for council offers being rejected included tenants wanting new or refurbished homes; not wanting apartments; they weren’t happy with the heating system; and the area had bad internet connection.

Among the most common reasons for rejection were gardens being too small, no pets allowed on the property and the location being “unsuitable”. Prospective tenants also refused offers on medical grounds.

Some said that the homes on offer did not have sufficient storage, while the lack of a second bathroom was also noted as a reason for refusal. Some people refused an offer of housing because parking spaces were too far away or the property was too far away from schools.

Rory Hearne, lecturer on housing at Maynooth University, said there are “many reasons” why offers may be rejected.

For example, a family with two children may be offered a one-bedroom apartment, or a family member may have mobility needs that have not been considered. The property may also be too far away from the support network of extended family.

“For privileged people it is probably hard to understand that this is a legitimate reason to turn down accommodation, because if you have enough income to buy everything like childcare or healthcare, then you can choose to live where you want,” said Mr Hearne.

“But if you are on lower income, you tend to rely more on family support networks for childcare and basic social networks.

“So it is understandable why people would turn down an offer in the hope of getting somewhere appropriate.”

He pointed out that victims of domestic violence or anti-social behaviour did not want to live close to perpetrators. Some people offered homes failed to make contact with officials to accept their offers, Tipperary County Council said.

Kerry County Council said properties were turned down because even if pets were allowed, dogs listed as dangerous were not allowed on the property.

It said homes were also turned down because motorbikes didn’t fit; there were no electric car-charging facilities; and gardens had no shed.

“Furniture does not fit” was also given as a reason, indicating insufficient space for a family-sized table and chairs.

Many councils said tenants were already happy in their current property and did not want to move.

People also declined properties because they were Approved Housing Body (AHB) homes and not owned by the local council.

While Kildare had the highest rejection rate last year, Cavan County Council saw a refusal rate of 36pc last year, up from 28pc in 2021. Clare had the lowest rejection rate at just 3.8pc in 2022.

More than one in five social housing offers were rejected in nine areas: Wexford, Kerry, Sligo, South Dublin, Kildare, Fingal, Cavan, Dublin City and Cork City.

Six councils refused to provide data: Monaghan, Offaly, Carlow, Louth, Galway County and Wicklow.

Some councils have put in place choice-based letting to allocate homes. In some cases, such as in Meath, this has helped to reduce rejection rates.

Under this system, social housing applicants use an online portal to express their interest in properties which are advertised or may come on stream shortly.

In the Meath County Council area, refusal rates dropped from 30pc in 2021 to 10.5pc in 2022 after the system was introduced in December 2021.

However, Galway City Council has had the system in place since 2020 and its refusal rate rose by 3pc between 2021 and 2022.

Social housing waiting lists have reduced in recent years, with 57,842 people deemed qualified for housing supports last November. This is a reduction of over a third compared to 2016.

Councils can deem refusals to be reasonable or not reasonable and people can decline offers without losing their place on the list.

However, those who refuse more than one reasonable offer in the course of a year are suspended from the list for a year and lose their rent supplement, which is a welfare payment towards rent.