Getting an apartment from the council and working

gazzer

Im wondering if anybody would know the answer to this question?? If you have a job is it still possible to get an apartment/house to rent from the county council??

There is a block of social housing apartments just down the road from me. A few weeks ago a guy, his wife/girlfriend and their child moved in. Thing is the guy is a taxi driver. I always thought (maybe wrongly) that in order to get an apartment from the council you would have to be a single mother or father or else be a married/co-habiting couple who didnt have a job.. If you have a job I would have thought the council would just tell you to rent privately and if your wages were below a certain amount then apply for Family Income Supplement or whatever. Anyway know what the story is with allocating these apartments? Im not having a rant or anything about the rights and wrongs of it .. Im just curious

mikemac

You are throwing a lot of assumptions into your post OP.

Social housing is allocated depending on a "need" basis.
Different city and county councils have different ways of allocating it, Dublin City Council use points afaik.
So you are correct, in theory a single parent with young children is in more need of housing than an able-bodied person who is holding down a full-time job.

The fact that you have a job doesn't rule you out. Many people have social housing but may work on Community Employment Schemes for around 19 hours a week, hardly enough to afford rent in these expensive times.
Also, many disabled people work but they may also have housing.

What you have highlighted is the assumption that most people jump to and are often correct.
I heard on the radio (yes, I know it's not proof) that 30%-40% of people claiming a single parent allowance (similar name I think ) have a partner living with them undeclared.
I believe that inspectors are no longer checking on this anymore but for sure there was and still is widespread abuse going on.

Now if the family near you are married then I reckon it's safe to say they got their flat fairly. If it's a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship then yes, there may be something dodgy going on but that is why we have inspectors in the department.
Anyway most taxi drivers would have you believe they is no money to made in the taxi business and they are living in poverty!

gazzer

Thanks for the reply micmclo. Would I be right in saying though that say for instance you were married and had a child and you were working in e.g as a Clerical Officer in the Civil Service/Bank/ that you wouldnt have much chance in getting a place from the council??

mikemac

A clerical officer isn't that well paid (around €23k afaik) but it is safe, secure and a pension to kill for.
I'd say with a job like that or a job in a bank/office, etc they'd laugh you out the door if you asked for a council house
Family income supplement would be the most likely outcome if you were entitled to anything.

However joking aside, everybody's situation is unique and if you were responsible for an elderly relative or maybe you couldn't find private accomadation suitable for a wheelchair then exceptions can be made.

The_Conductor

gazzer wrote:

Thanks for the reply micmclo. Would I be right in saying though that say for instance you were married and had a child and you were working in e.g as a Clerical Officer in the Civil Service/Bank/ that you wouldnt have much chance in getting a place from the council??

As a Clerical Officer in the Civil Service or bank you would be more likely to be steered in the direction of affordable housing than offered a council house. One of the COs in work just got a nice house with a large garden in Donabate on the AH scheme- as she is working, her kids are over the moon.

S.

January

Gazzer they most possible situation in this is that the guy is living there undeclared. But they could be on the affordable housing scheme also.

But if you're thinking of making a little tip off phone call, ask yourself if it's worth getting a family evicted from their home two weeks before Christmas for.

gazzer

@ adrieanne__x. Like I said in my original post I wasnt having a rant. I was just curious. None of my business who is living in the apartment

astrofool

adrieanne__x wrote: »

Gazzer they most possible situation in this is that the guy is living there undeclared. But they could be on the affordable housing scheme also.

But if you're thinking of making a little tip off phone call, ask yourself if it's worth getting a family evicted from their home two weeks before Christmas for.

Be a kind old soul and ring them in during new year's

K_P

You are perfectly entitled to apply for a council property if you have a job. There is an income limit of around €32k. But no matter what your job is, as long as you're below that, you can apply for council housing.

Local authority schemes of letting priorities, ie, the system by which they allocate properties be it a points system or based on length of time you're on the list, do not take employment into account. Your housing need is based on your current living situation. So, an unemployed single parent with one child renting let's say a 2 bed house will not necessarily have higher points than a single person working as a clerical officer but living in a bedsit.

So to answer the OP's question, the couple and child who have moved in down the road from you would not be barred from council housing just because he has a job.

gurramok

€32k K_P, i'm surprised at that, thought it would have been much lower.

There is no mention of said limit on any of the councils websites either.

The_Conductor

gurramok wrote:

€32k K_P, i'm surprised at that, thought it would have been much lower.

I am too. Thats just a smidgen under the average industrial wage and considerably above the starting salaries for graduate recruitment in the banks or civil service.

K_P

I'm not entirely sure of the figure to be honest but it's around the €30k mark. I don't anymore, but I used to work in the housing section of DCC. There are all sorts of reasons why someone would be ineligible to go on the housing list but it would be very rare for someone to be refused on the basis of their income.

While the limit is close to the average wage and considerably higher than starting salaries in a lot of jobs, in reality if a graduate was to put their name on the list, by the time they would get around to being housed, if ever, their salaries would have considerably increased, most likely to well above the income limit.

gurramok

It did often make wonder why i used to see some 'social housing' successful applicants driving decent cars and have jobs, i had always assumed they were in part-time work(low pay) and not all just on welfare(stereotype)

Though it would make sense for anyone on 'low' pay to apply, for example if they were from the city centre, there would be no way they'd afford a place through affordable housing nevermind the open market with standard 2 bed apts asking well over 400k!(south inner city), assuming the applicant wishes to live locally and not move out to a suburb!

So if the income limit is around 30k, there is no reason for 'key' workers to moan about lack of housing other than a long waiting list plus the social stigma attached to it?

Me thinks the OP might as well try of applying for it, assuming within income limits, if they suit the OP.