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Carbery Housing Association

CHA

CHA is a small housing association based in West Cork, registered as a company with charitable status, and currently rents private properties secured on long-term leases to Council nominees at council equivalent rents.

Lobbying Activity

Response to Commission Communication – "Renovation wave" initiative for the building sector

24 May 2020

Carbery Housing Association is a small social housing organisation based in Ireland. We currently purchase properties where owners occupiers are unable to meet mortgage repayments and keep them in residence as social tenants. We have purchased 7 properties and are in the process of purchasing 33 more. We have building energy ratings for all properties that we have bought and are buying. these shown that only 4 of these properties have a rating of over C, and the majority are below this, therefore deficient in energy efficiency terms. None have renewable energies integrated. We are committed to carrying out retrofitting on all these properties but have found it impossible to secure the necessary funding for such a retrofit. This would require around € 4,000 minimum for a core retrofit to take them to a C rating and probably in the region of € 14000 per property to take them to a B rating. There is currently no available mechanism through which we can do this. The only exception is where families are dependent t on social benefit, in which case they qualify for retrofitting under the Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme funded by SEAI. But in this instance we have to apply through existing approved retrofit coordinators, who have many such demands from bodies like]ours and local authorities. If we were to propose retrofitting homes where awarding is not dependent on welfare 9e.g part-employed, self-employed or low income) our Housing Association would have to meet 50% of the cost. this is not really possible when our social rental income is barely sufficient to meet urgent repair needs. If a renovation wave is to take place in social housing in Ireland, then funding must be available to cover the entire costs of retrofitting and the current restrictions to people receiving welfare only must be removed. This might be best done by offering grants from the EU that could be applied for directly by organisations like ours, rather than through intermediary bodies, that might restrict access rather than facilitate it.
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