THE Government is being urged to press ahead with proposals which would put new local authority tenants on probation for one year. Independent city councillor, John Gilligan, said he would welcome such a move to ensure that houses are given to responsible people. The Department of the Environment confirmed this week that it is considering new legislation which would give local authorities the power to put new tenants on probation for a year to ensure they are not going to cause problems in the area.
Limerick city already has a policy of not allocating homes to people with court convictions for anti-social behaviour.
But it is acknowledged that there are loopholes in that policy, particularly as people with convictions can often slip under the radar by putting a housing application in a partner’s name.
Cllr Gilligan said that he would welcome the move, which would give the council a chance to see what kind of person they have placed in housing, and also encourage people to behave responsibly.
“If you look at the situation in Limerick, the Gardai have organised crime under control but anti-social behaviour is on the increase. If we had a probation period and a review after a year, we could see how the tenant is getting on”.
He said that the council “has to let people know that when you get a house, that you have a responsibility not just for the property, but to the community”,
It would, he suggests, make life better for tenants in local authority estates, “particularly older people, who can be very afraid and vulnerable”.
A spokesperson for the Department said that they would require new legislation, but the upshot of introducing it would be that “tenants would have to refrain from any behaviour that could be termed anti-social for a period of a year before being issued with a long-term contract between them and their landlord, the local authority”.
