How to get rent allowance?

Radgery

Hi,

I was let go from my job this week and am looking for information on how to go about sorting out rent allowance.

I live in the Cabra area of Dublin so I'm wondering if anyone knows where I should go. My rent is 650 per month, is this too much to claim rent allowance?

Any information gratefully received...

Barr

You will have to get your landlord to accept rent allowance first - not all landlords do

bobmalooka

You need your landlord to fill out a form. You can get it whereever your community welfare officer is based,they are usually based in health centers. It doesnt pay all of your rent, you'd be expected to come up with about 200 of it yourself

ronbyrne2005

http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Topics/Budget/bud09_apr/Pages/MaxRentLimitJune2009.aspx

Radgery

Thanks folks, big help...

gstar

Barr wrote: »

You will have to get your landlord to accept rent allowance first - not all landlords do

Just wondering as a matter of interest why landlords might not accept rent allowance, what effect would it have on a landlord from their point of view?

petes

gstar wrote: »

Just wondering as a matter of interest why landlords might not accept rent allowance, what effect would it have on a landlord from their point of view?

They won't accept it if they aren't registered.

snubbleste

gstar wrote: »

Just wondering as a matter of interest why landlords might not accept rent allowance, what effect would it have on a landlord from their point of view?

The usual reason is that they may not be tax-compliant ie. declaring all their income to Revenue or not registered with the PRTB or other reasons

the_syco

Too much hassle. As a few people cause many landlords hassle when paying rent with rent allowance, many landlords don't accept it.

astrofool

They might also see someone on rent allowance as unreliable, or more likely to damage the property/not pay bills etc. There's also the issue that rent allowance doesn't go straight to the landlord (is it still this way?)

My last landlord, for example, was fully tax registered, but would not accept rent allowance.

BC

astrofool wrote: »

There's also the issue that rent allowance doesn't go straight to the landlord (is it still this way?)
.

It can be done either way now.

I had previously had no issue with tenants on rent allowance until I had a (prospective) tenant who wanted me to effectively lie about who was in the house because social welfare didn't know about her (in full employment) partner. The end result being that she wanted to rent a house where one person there wouldn't sign any lease but would still have all the same rights. Thankfully I found out about the partner before any leases changed hands.

gstar

thats interesting thanks for all the replies, so presumably a landlord couldnt rent a room for rent allowance under the rent a room scheme? im just curious sorry if this is a silly question, but i cant se this mentioned anywhere

Victor

Why not? In BC's case, the tenant was trying to claim more than she was entitled to, that was the problem, not that ther ewas more than one person there.