Divorced people will get a second chance to be home owners after a relationship breakdown under measures designed to recognise how “Ireland has changed”.
New proposals will treat divorced and separated people, who no longer have a stake in the family home, as first-time buyers in certain cases. Divorced and separated people, after they move out of the family home, can often struggle to raise the 20% deposit required as second-time buyers while paying high rents.
Under new plans, set to come into force from April, people who are divorced or separated will be eligible for the state-backed loan schemes. It is believed this is the first time Irish government housing policy has specifically referenced divorced and separated people.
Divorced and separated people will be included among those eligible under schemes like the Local Authority-led Affordable Purchase Scheme or the First Home Shared Equity Scheme.