Choice Based Letting - Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Choice-Based Letting (CBL)?
• Am I eligible for CBL?
• What properties are available through CBL?
• Can I express interest in a property outside of my chosen areas of choice?
• What will the CBL expression of interest look like?
• If I am interested in a CBL property, what do I do?
• What happens if other people are interested in the same property as me?
• What happens if I refuse a dwelling allocated through CBL?
• Will CBL affect my Council application?
   

What is Choice-Based Letting (CBL)?

• Choice Based Letting (CBL) is a way that you can express your interest in renting a suitable council dwelling in your area of choice
• A ‘suitable’ dwelling is one that you have chosen to express interest in and that matches your housing needs
• The CBL is being rolled out as a pilot in the Newcastle West Municipal District with a view to extending city and county wide later in 2019.

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Am I eligible for CBL?

To be eligible for CBL, you must be on Limerick City and County Council’s Social Housing Waiting List. Applicants approved for a transfer are eligible to bid also. Applicants approved for Mortgage to Rent and HAP only are not eligible for CBL.

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What properties are available through CBL?

• CBL will give you the chance to express an interest in a range of Council dwellings that are suitable for the size of your household
• Please note that only those applicant households that have expressed an interest in Choice Based Letting whose household composition suits the dwelling type will be considered e.g., the number of bedrooms an applicant is approved for
• Dwellings that are specially adapted or dwellings required for the elderly will not be advertised
• The list of available properties will typically be displayed from 9am on Friday morning for a maximum period of 3 weeks and it is only during this time that an expression of interest in a property can be submitted on the limerick.ie website: www.limerick.ie/choice-based-lettings
• Limerick City and County Council will keep the list of available CBL dwellings up-to-date but you will need to check the webpage regularly

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Can I express interest in a property outside of my chosen areas of choice?

Yes, you can submit an expression of interest in a property outside of your chosen 3 areas of choice

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What will the CBL expression of interest look like?

The list of available properties will contain the following information to help you make an informed decision:

• The location of the dwelling
• Type of dwelling e.g., 2 bed dwelling
• Class of household that is eligible to apply e.g. single person household
• Closing date for bids
• Contact details of Limerick City and County Council
• Date of advert
• Internal and external photos of properties and neighbourhood
• Detailed information about services and amenities in the area
• The particular dwelling features (e.g. ground floor, heating type, whether the dwelling has a garden etc.).

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If I am interested in a CBL property, what do I do?

• Check the website at www.limerick.ie/choice-based-lettings
• If you see a property you are interested in, you should ‘express your interest’ by clicking on the photo of the property which will bring you automatically to a webform. Fill out the form presented to you with your name, address, mobile phone number and PPS number.
• When you have filled out the webform hit ‘send’ and you will receive an auto-response from LCCC stating that the expression of interest has been received.
• If you do not ‘express your interest’ on the webpage, we cannot consider you for that property.
• If your application is successful, we will contact you.
• Properties that have been allocated will state this fact on the webpage.

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What happens if other people are interested in the same property as me?

• Where more than one person expresses an interest in a CBL dwelling, the following factors will be taken into account:
• Your category of need under the Allocations scheme
• Your waiting time on Limerick City and County Council’s waiting list
• Your family size
• The type of property needed
• Good Estate Management

In addition, the applicant household will have to pass the vetting procedure of Limerick City and County Council. This procedure comprises of an interview and a Garda Check and Estate Management clearance as well as the provision of updates to your housing file. The estimated time for this process is 5 weeks.

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What happens if I refuse a dwelling allocated through CBL?

• A refusal of a CBL dwelling by a household is not considered a refusal in terms of the overall refusal policy in an allocation scheme. This means that a refusal of a CBL dwelling is not counted as one of an applicant’s official offers.
• However, where an applicant does refuse a reasonable offer of a CBL dwelling, the household cannot express an interest for another CBL dwelling for one year.

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Will CBL affect my Council application?

If you are housed through CBL, you are removed from the housing waiting list.

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