Council paid €4 million to landlords for housing use

BY DARA BRADLEY

Galway City Council paid a total of €4.02 million in 2012 to landlords, auctioneers, property management companies, letting agents, housing associations and charities that own properties, in return for housing for RAS (Rental Accommodation Scheme).

The windfall was shared by some 270 individual landlords or landlords’ agents, who together owned a total of 454 apartments and houses that were registered for RAS in the city as of December 13, 2012. The information was released to the Galway City Tribune following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

The documents released names each and every landlord up to December 13, 2012, who had properties registered with the City Council for the RAS scheme.

The RAS scheme is where landlords rent properties to tenants on the social housing list and the rent is paid by the Council.

As well as professional landlords and property developers, the extensive list of people that have properties under RAS includes Galway publicans, teachers, engineers, builders and tradesmen, auctioneers, politicians, several members of a prominent business family, doctors, media professionals, solicitors and other professionals.

Among the charities with RAS properties registered with the Council are Irish Wheelchair Association, Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, Galway Mental Health Association and Galway Simon.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.