Please read the following information carefully before completing this application form.
What is the Local Authority Serviced Sites Scheme?
There is provision under “Housing For All” for Local Authorities to make serviced sites available for sale to eligible purchasers in compliance with the Rural Housing Policy of the Kildare County Development Plan 2023 – 2029.
Where are the Service Sites Located?
Kildare County Council has 7 serviced sites for sale in Clogherinkoe, Co. Kildare. Sites extend up to 0.13ha. Each site is fully serviced with access roads, public lighting, mains water and waste water, ready for the successful applicant to build their new home. The cost of each site is €45,000.
Do applicants need to have mortgage approval in place?
- Applicants must demonstrate that they have funds and/or a loan to purchase the serviced site and to build their own home.
- Applicants should submit a Mortgage Approval in Principle letter from their proposed lender confirming the maximum mortgage available to the applicants when applying for the serviced sites scheme.
- Purchasers can use the Local Authority Home Loan or a mortgage from any private lending institution to finance their purchase.
- Where a purchaser is not availing of the Local Authority Home Loan through the Council to purchase the home, a separate ‘Priorities Agreement’ between the Council and the bank providing the mortgage to the purchaser will be necessary.
What deposit is needed?
- Applicants must provide a 10% deposit on the site within 1 month of being offered a site and pay the remaining balance when planning permission is granted. If planning is refused, an additional 6 months will be provided, if requested by the applicant.
- Along with the deposit applicants will also be asked to provide a letter of commitment (signed by the applicant and witnessed by an official of the Local Authority) that they will apply for planning permission for their home within 6 months of being offered a site. Applicants will be required to notify (in writing) the administrator of the scheme in Kildare County Council when they lodge the planning permission.
Clawback and Legal Agreements
For any Serviced Site transferred to a new site owner from the Council, a ‘clawback’ will be registered on the property. The ‘clawback’ is a percentage of the sale price of the site value to the local authority.
It is required that the applicant(s) will live in the property built on the site for a period of at least 10 years from the date of occupancy of said property.
If at any time the applicants sell the property/site, or it ceases to be their principal private residence within 10 years of occupancy of said dwelling, they must reimburse the Council an element of the full value of the discount, as follows:
- Up to 5 years: 100% of the monetary amount of the discount.
- Over 5 years and less than or equal to 10 years: 75% of the monetary amount of the discount.
- Over 10 years: No clawback.
An appropriate agreement must be concluded between Kildare County Council and the applicant, which contains the clawback arrangement, including a charge on the property, which shall be binding on the applicant upon the sale of the site. Any revenue derived from clawbacks will revert to the Kildare Serviced Site Scheme.
The Council may apply some discretion in the applicability of the above rates having regard to the overall market conditions at the time of sale, i.e., the Council will apply the full clawback when the market has risen but may apply a reduction to the clawback percentage where property and site values may have fallen in value.
How to apply
Applications will be accepted from 9am Thursday 21st November 2024 and will remain open until 12 Noon Thursday 19th December 2024 through an online Kildare Submit platform only. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be eligible.
From the 21st November 2024 the system will allow for input of all relevant data and applicants will be required to upload supporting documentation by clicking the 'APPLY' button above to start. Remember to click 'SUBMIT' button at the end. Once open, applications for the Scheme will be accepted on the first-come-first-served basis. Therefore it is important that you gather all required documents in place and have them ready to upload as images before the opening date.
Planning Link
Applicants should ensure that they have fully completed the application form and declarations and submitted the required documentation, as the date and time of application will be one of the criteria on which eligible applications will be prioritised.
Kildare County Council's Privacy statement can be viewed here.
Before applying please ensure that the following eligibility rules apply to you:
Applicants will be required to demonstrate the following:
- Compliance with the Rural Housing Policy of the Kildare County Development Plan 2023-2029.
- Confirmation from a Bank or Financial Institution (including Local Authorities) indicating that they have funds and/or a loan to build their own home.
- Applicant must demonstrate that their tax affairs are in order, through the submission of a tax clearance certificate from Revenue.
- Provide a letter of commitment (signed by the applicant and witnessed by an official of the Local Authority) that they will apply for planning permission for their home within 6 months of being offered a site. Applicants will be required to notify (in writing) the administrator of the scheme in Kildare County Council when they lodge the planning permission.
- Provide a 10% deposit on the site within 1 month of being offered a site and pay the remaining balance when planning permission is granted. If planning is refused, an additional 6 months will be provided, if requested by the applicant.
- If after 12 months from the time a site has been offered, there is no planning permission granted on the site, the deposit will be returned to the applicant and the site will be offered to another applicant.
- Applicants will be expected to complete construction of their home and occupy same within 30 months of being approved for a serviced site or seek the written approval of the Local Authority for any period after that.
- If a house is not occupied within 30 months of being approved for a serviced site, the site must be returned to the Local Authority and a refund will be provided (this may include a case where an applicant has run out of funds to complete the home – the refund will be provided at fair market value based on an independent valuation assessment).
- The home must be the household normal place of residence.
- Temporary or mobile homes will not, under any circumstances, be permitted during the construction phase of the site.
How will successful applicants be decided?
Serviced Sites will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
Kildare County Council will write to each applicant informing them if successful/unsuccessful.
Serviced Site Purchase Agreement:
A Serviced Site Purchase Agreement (SSPA) is a legal contract between the Local Authority and the applicants which sets out the legal arrangements in purchasing a Serviced Site. You should note that applicants who are successful in proceeding to purchase a Serviced Site could find the Agreement terminated if the information contained in the application form is found to be untrue/incorrect.
If after reading the FAQ's, you still have questions, please contact our affordable purchase team by email at affordablehousing@kildarecoco.ie