Limerick City and County Council is encouraging older people looking to downsize their home to apply for a new scheme offering a “lifetime tenancy”, while freeing up larger homes to return to the squeezed market.
A development of 15 apartments will be available from the end of September at Woodlawn Park in Ballysimon. The council states the scheme is aimed at people aged 55 and over. Applicants should own their own home, find it too large, and be willing to sell it on the private market.
Under the scheme, run in partnership with Focus Housing Association, applicants sell their home and give the council 25% of the proceeds in exchange for a lifetime tenancy.
“Our joint ambition is to expand and improve housing options for people over the age of 55,” said the council’s director of housing, Brian Kennedy.
“The council has an informal register of interest of approximately 250 private households enquiring about rightsizing options. We are confident that there is significant latent demand for rightsizing schemes.”
The council emphasized that participation is completely voluntary; residents only move if they choose to.
The scheme also aims to assist those whose current homes are too large or difficult to maintain. The new apartments are smaller, modern, and “easier to manage”.
Furthermore, designed with older residents in mind, the apartments enable residents to stay in Limerick, close to family, friends, and familiar services.
The council’s dual aim is to help those wishing to downsize and to release properties in high demand for the “families that need them most”.
The Ballysimon development offers a mix of one- and two-bedroom homes on both ground and first-floor levels. Pets are generally not allowed, with exceptions for service animals.
“Woodlawn Park is a well-established residential area and a well-connected part of Limerick’s east side, making it an ideal setting for rightsizing,” said Cllr Catherine Slattery.
Applications for the Woodlawn Park scheme are open until Friday, August 22.
Similar “rightsizing” schemes are operated by other local authorities around the country.
In Cork, Tuath Housing manages several schemes, including those in Douglas, Blackrock, and Bishopstown.
While the Government’s last Housing for All plan mentioned developing a national rightsizing policy, Housing Minister James Browne stated that the “advancement of a broader policy approach” is being considered alongside program commitments to increase housing for older people.
