THOMAS BEHAN and his wife Kathleen were struggling to get on to the property ladder through the conventional route because they didn't have a large deposit, so they decided to explore all their options.

"At the time we were desperate to get a house, so we were checking out every possibility," Thomas recalls.

So when he came across the affordable housing scheme on Fingal County Councils website he threw their name in the hat.

Unlike some other local authorities, Fingal County Council allocates affordable housing on a first-come, first-served basis as opposed to a lottery system.

Also, a couple applying for an affordable home in Fingal can have a joint annual income of up to €100,000, which is considerably higher than in other areas.

After waiting for about a year, Thomas and Kathleen got a call from the council offering them the chance to view a three-bedroom house in Dun Saithne estate in Balbriggan.

"We jumped on the opportunity to go out and have a look," he says. Fortunately the house lived up to their expectations, and they were particularly impressed with the finishing touches.

On the drive back to Drogheda, where they were living at the time, Thomas and Kathleen decided to go for it.

The council helped them to arrange a mortgage, and they managed to raise a deposit of €10,000. Thomas estimates that they would have needed a lump sum of €30,000 if they hadn't gone down the affordable housing route. They were also able to buy the house at a very significant discount to its market value.

They have now been living happily in Dun Saithne with their two young children for more than a year, and are delighted with how well it has worked out.

"I must say it went very smoothly," Thomas says.

THE IRISH TIMES, August 2008