LIMERICK Council is preparing to “move with the times” as it is to explore a ‘choice-based letting’ (CBL) system, which will be rolled out later this year.
Speaking at the Metropolitan District meeting for the month of March, Fine Gael councillor Sarah Kiely pointed out that people on the social housing list are often offered a house but can’t accept it as their children are in local schools and the house offered could be miles away.
Once a person is offered and refuses two homes, they are not prioritised anymore, Cllr Kiely told the Council executive.
“We need to move with the times and allow people to do this with an online portal. For those who can’t access technology, we can always meet them and help them with applications.”
She told the meeting that “hopefully by mid 2026 this will be a reality and choice and transparency will be the norm for housing allocations”.
“In this Council, we have a ‘one rep’ policy for housing, however most applicants are unaware of that in my experience, and this leads to double the work for not just councillors but the housing team. Choice-based letting would address this as well as the obvious benefits to the applicant.”
The Fine Gael councillor said that “grom speaking to colleagues from other local authorities, this is something that works well in other counties”.
“The checks and balances must remain with input from the allocation team and the tenant sustainment team for choice-based letting. Their knowledge and experience is very valuable for complex cases.”
She said that “choice-based letting is not a solution but a tool to address refusals and increase transparency. Councils sometimes keep traditional allocation methods alongside CBL.”
The City East representative believes that the Council needs flexibility for vulnerable cases, which is “prudent and good practice”.
Local authorities, she told the meeting, often reserve some homes for people who need urgent help, such as homeless families, people leaving emergency accommodation, people with disabilities, and domestic violence cases.
“In some Councils, not all homes are put on the CBL system so they can be allocated directly in these situations. In many of these cases, approved housing bodies are a good fit due to the complex nature of the cases.”
In response, the Council explained that its Housing Support Service is currently progressing the rollout of a choice-based letting system, adding that it has procured a consultant to deliver a bespoke CBL system which is currently at an advanced user acceptance testing phase.
The next phase of the pilot will involve mapping property data. It is anticipated that the rollout of the system will come in the second half of 2026.