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Housing

There are over 1,400 people with CF in Ireland and as of end of 2019, 54% of the Irish CF population were adults - see CFRI 2019 Annual Report.

The increasing number of adults with cystic fibrosis presents new challenges for the Irish CF population as a collective group. Previously these challenges were limited to just a few individual experiences.

In 1998, 74% of people with CF lived with their parents in their parents' home. By 2017 that had reduced to just 43%, showing that more and more people with CF were moving away from home and establishing independent lives.

One of the most pressing issues for adults with CF is suitable accommodation when they do leave their parents' home. The options fall into 3 broad strands - private rental, private ownership or local authority housing.

Since many adults with CF are well educated with qualifications (as seen in the CFI Independent Living Report 2018), many enter the workforce either part-time or full-time. As a result, many are ineligible for local authority housing based upon means testing.

The private rental sector is tough for anyone, but especially for a person with CF.  Sharing your living space with others in shared accommodations and managing your CF with all its demands and impacts on your health is a very difficult experience for many. This was before COVID-19 arrived on the scene. Now with the global pandemic, many people with CF have been forced to give up their independence and move back with their parents due to the infection risk of COVID-19 by sharing accommodation with others who they could not guarantee would follow public health restrictions and public health advice around preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Independent living is an ambition that many PWCF strive to achieve. Each person with CF will have their own concept of what independent living means for them and that can change as they progress through life. 

The volume of queries received by CFI in relation to housing and accommodation has increased dramatically since the onset of the COVID -19 pandemic. These queries had already begun to increase in frequency in the last 3-5-year period even prior to COVID-19, reflecting the increasing health and survival of the Irish CF population and their natural aspirations to live independent lives.

On Wednesday, July 7th CFI hosted “A Place to Call Home”, a webinar on housing, with a particular focus on the mortgage journey, but also exploring some of the other challenges facing people with CF and their families in accessing home ownership or rented accommodation. Below is a recording of the webinar and copies of the presentations by speakers.

Sam Byrne Presentation Download
Rory Tallon Presentation Download

If you have any queries on housing please contact us here in CF Ireland.
Email info@cfireland.ie or phone 01 496 2433. You can also speak to Rory directly on 087 932 3930 or email rtallon@cfireland.ie

Mortgages & CF

The frequent questions presented to CFI are “How can I get a mortgage?” and “Can I get mortgage protection insurance?”
In short the answer is yes, you can get a mortgage but, no, most likely you will be unable to get mortgage protection insurance due to your CF.

In Ireland it is a legal requirement when taking out a mortgage that you must also take out mortgage protection insurance. This insurance is tied to your mortgage loan. If your mortgage loan is a 20-year loan you must take out a 20-year mortgage protection insurance policy.

There are numerous types of mortgage protection insurance products. However, CFI are not aware of anyone with CF in Ireland who has been successful in obtaining a mortgage protection insurance policy in the recent past (five years approximately) and many PWCF have approached us in CFI complaining that they were refused this insurance. We contacted Insurance Ireland about this issue and they responded that all applicants would be assessed on an individual basis upon application for mortgage protection insurance.

But there is a way around the hurdle. There is a process where you can sign a waiver that exempts you to the legal requirement for mortgage protection insurance. To do so, you must prove to your bank or lender that you can not obtain mortgage protection insurance. You must have three refusals in writing to mortgage protection insurance applications by separate insurers as proof that you can’t obtain the insurance.

Your bank or lender unfortunately is not legally obliged to accept your waiver. Whether or not they proceed with your mortgage loan really depends on your holistic personal financial position and your partner’s financial position, if applying as joint applicants.

More information is available from Citizens Information, click here.

CFI advises you seek independent financial advice from a professional financial advisor. Your bank or lender will offer you financial advice also, but it is wise to seek independent advice from a professional not employed by your bank or lender.

If you don’t know or can’t source a financial advisor, we can suggest to you Blue Chair Financial Planning - please ask to speak to Tom O’Neill. Tom has successfully helped PWCF through mortgage applications.

You should read up on general information on mortgages. Banks and lenders will have such information but you can also visit the Competition and Consumer Protection (CCPC) website where there is an online guide to get you started:

A financial advisor will examine all your personal financial circumstances - your income, your household expenditure, any loan repayments such as a car loan and credit card debt and your savings and investments. They will advise how to get your finances into a good shape before you apply for a mortgage.

One product they may recommend to you is life insurance. Ironic that while PWCF seem to be refused mortgage protection insurance, they may still be offered a life insurance product by the very same insurer. The difference is a life insurance product is not tied to your mortgage. So, you may be offered a reduced term life insurance due to your CF such as a 3 year, a 5 year or maybe a 10 year product. The premium you pay will be loaded based on you having CF and could cost you a multiple of what a non-CF age-matched peer might pay. For example a €200,000 life insurance cover could cost you say €150 per month in premiums but the same product might only cost say €50 per month for a healthy peer. You need to examine what premium, if any, could you afford to pay toward a life insurance product.

A bank or lender may be prepared to continue your mortgage application without you having any life cover in place. However, having a life insurance product in place will weigh in your favour when being assessed by a bank for mortgage loan. If you can’t manage to obtain life insurance from an Irish Insurer, you can try Pulse Insurance UK – a company who can provide lifer cover policies for PWCF in Ireland.  They specialise in life cover for higher risk individuals, click here to visit their website. 

Life insurance would serve as a financial assistance package to your partner or your family if you were to die during the term of the cover where otherwise they may struggle financially upon your death. It offers protection and peace of mind, but it will be expensive for you.

You should check if your employer has any policies in place such as death in benefit where a multiple of your salary is paid to your estate in the event of your death. Also check for serious illness cover, income protection and sick leave policies. All these products would be weighed in your favour by your bank or lender when assessing your mortgage application.

There are some Government schemes that offer financial assistance towards buying your home so be sure to check these out:

If you have any further questions on housing or mortgages please contact our CF Advocate Rory Tallon directly on 087 932 3930 or email rtallon@cfireland.ie