Claim some Louth tenants ‘pretending to be homeless’ to gain priority on social housing list
Social housing tenants are “claiming they are homeless, when they’re not” in order to jump the queue for housing, a Louth councillor has claimed.
The comments were made at last week’s meeting of the Ardee Municipal District, where Cllr Jim Tenanty voiced frustration that only 60pc of available social housing units are being advertised on Louth County Council’s Choice Based Letting (CBL) portal.
The remaining homes are reserved for people with disabilities or those presenting as homeless.
“I believe this is very unfair,” Cllr Tenanty said. “There are a lot of people saying they are homeless, but they’re not homeless, and are getting priority ahead of people who are in genuine need of a house.”
Officials reminded councillors that this allocation breakdown had previously been agreed by elected members as part of the county’s overall housing delivery plan.
Meanwhile, the overall shortage of housing in mid-Louth is “leading to people putting their lives on hold,” according to Cllr Pearse McGeough, who said there was “very little housing available” on the CBL portal in the expanding Castlebellingham area.
“People’s lives are suspended as they wait on houses,” he told the meeting, adding that many local residents are logging on after midnight in the hope new homes will appear.
“There is a long list in the Ardee area, and people are staying up past midnight on Monday nights to check in hope there will be something on CBL,” he said.
Cllr Rachel Kerley agreed, saying she also knew many people who were anxiously monitoring the portal each week. She asked whether any new affordable housing schemes were planned for the Ardee area.
Senior Engineer Declan Grimes updated councillors on upcoming housing supply. He confirmed that Gernon Place in Castlebellingham will shortly deliver 10 new units, including houses, apartments and duplexes. Several will be allocated through the CBL system in June or July.
He said the council “can only put properties up on CBL when they are available.”
There are currently just six voids — vacant social homes requiring turnaround — in the mid-Louth area, a number he described as “low”.
“That shows that people are staying in their houses and not putting in for transfers. That is positive, but it means there are less vacant houses available,” he said.
He added that the council is increasingly reliant on its own direct-build projects and Part V units secured in private developments.
New homes will come on stream in the coming months at Pottersfield in Ardee and BridgeGate, while An Mullach in Mullavalley will deliver 58 units in October.
Ravel Drive in Dunleer will also provide 70 new units, with around sixty per cent of homes in both developments to be listed on CBL by autumn 2026.
“We are engaging with every single developer in an effort to get houses, and that is the same across the county,” Mr Grimes said.
However, responding to Cllr Kerley, he confirmed that no affordable housing schemes will be included in these mid-Louth developments, citing plot costs that “wouldn’t be value for money”.
New affordable homes are expected instead in Dundalk and Drogheda over the next year.