Can a landlord refuse to sign rent allowance for tenant made redundant?

The_Conductor

Graces7 wrote: »

As a reliable tenant on rent allowance I find some of these posts hard to take.

Yes, I fully understand the reasoning and the bad experiences etc.

BUT that to me is no reason for a blanket ban on rent allowance applicants for a tenancy.

Which is what happens.

Here in Donegal there is a rent ceiling of E85 for applicants for RA which makes it very,very hard indeed for eg pensioners to find a decent house.

Our rent is paid by direct debit on time every month. The landlord had one form to fill in and sign.

So glad OP that you have found a solution; when the chips are down you certainly learn who is who...

Hi Grace-

It is tough- and it is unfair.
The actions of a few have unfairly tarred the many.
Its similar to a few students holding parties in residential property- making it a lot more difficult for all other students to get reasonable accommodation. Even more landlords have a blanket ban on students, that they have on RA tenants......

The vast majority of Rent Allowance tenants are wonderful tenants- the couple of bad apples have ruined things for a lot of these folk though.

Shane

BostonB

From personal experience, the HSE don't keep tenant or landlord informed about anything. If you inquire, my experience they give the impression they don't really want to help anyone. Basically you hit a wall. Can you email me that, no, can you give me the office number, no, can you give me the name of the person dealing with it, no. Etc etc. Thats before you get any issues or not with the tenant.

BostonB

Graces7 wrote: »

...
BUT that to me is no reason for a blanket ban on rent allowance applicants for a tenancy. ...

Well of course it is. You get a bad meal in a restaurant, how many times would you go back.

A lot of this could be improved if HSE managed it better.

Graces7

BostonB wrote: »

Well of course it is. You get a bad meal in a restaurant, how many times would you go back.

A lot of this could be improved if HSE managed it better.

That is an invalid comparison and really quite insulting?

We are people, not meat and potatoes. With needs for a roof over our heads.

When we needed a house last year because the one we were in was substandard and a health hazard, we were refused several times simply because we needed, and I mean needed, RA.
As in living on a UK pension that has reduced by a third with currency fluctuations.

Finally the old house flooded and we had to get out fast; to the only place that was available at the price. Again, not good accommodation.

We truly deserve better treatment than this.

A crime to be old or disabled?

Assumptions made with no contact.

It is a relatively easy matter for an agent to ask who the person is etc and ask for references.

But no; a blanket ban.

This is what leads folk to assume that it is the tax evasion issue that is at the root of it.

Graces7

BostonB wrote: »

From personal experience, the HSE don't keep tenant or landlord informed about anything. If you inquire, my experience they give the impression they don't really want to help anyone. Basically you hit a wall. Can you email me that, no, can you give me the office number, no, can you give me the name of the person dealing with it, no. Etc etc. Thats before you get any issues or not with the tenant.

Here all you do is call the Community Welfare Officer, whose number is available and who we have to see before RA is granted. And who has to see the house also.

It is very simple indeed; he has clinics in most areas on set days or at the HSE office.

BostonB

Graces7 wrote: »

That is an invalid comparison and really quite insulting? ...

Your taking it personally, solely from your own point of view.
Whereas I'm simply saying its a business not a service.

Graces7 wrote: »

Here all you do is call the Community Welfare Officer, whose number is available and who we have to see before RA is granted. And who has to see the house also.

It is very simple indeed; he has clinics in most areas on set days or at the HSE office.

Unfortunately it does seem all areas are as well organised. Probably due to demand being far higher in some areas than others.

Graces7

BostonB wrote: »

Your taking it personally, solely from your own point of view.
Whereas I'm simply saying its a business not a service.

Of course I am; we are after all individuals.. How else can anyone take it? A roof over one's head is very different from an unnecessary event like a meal out. Try sleeping rough some time.


Unfortunately it does seem all areas are as well organised. Probably due to demand being far higher in some areas than others.

,,

BostonB

Thats an entirely different topic.

The point of the discussion was why some landlords don't want RA tenants. The only way to understand that is to see if from their point of view.

Darlughda

BostonB wrote: »

Thats an entirely different topic.

The point of the discussion was why some landlords don't want RA tenants. The only way to understand that is to see if from their point of view.

From this and other threads, I have looked at their point of view.
It seems to boil down to landlords merely viewing tenants as cash cows in their properties, rather than considering the fact there are far reaching moral and social obligations to be considered.

Discriminating against tenants for the hassle factor is lazy, and producing a few examples of bad experiences with RA tenants is just an excuse to discriminate against people who are on a lower socio-economic scale; the elderly, disabled and other vulnerable people.

I am struggling now to find a landlord who will accept RA.
Despite the fact it has been confirmed by my CWO that I am eligible for RA, and I have a deposit and a couple of months rent saved to cover any delays of the receipt of payment.

After the initial hassle of form signing with a tenant like me, a landlord should be delighted to have guaranteed rent coming in, and a trustworthy tenant who would look after their property for a few years and treat it as my home.

How on earth can I even approach or present my case when the majority of ads on daft.ie state Rent Allowance Not Accepted.?

BostonB

I think what your thinking about is non-profit Housing. Not private rental which is a business to make profit.

Graces7

Darlughda wrote: »

From this and other threads, I have looked at their point of view.
It seems to boil down to landlords merely viewing tenants as cash cows in their properties, rather than considering the fact there are far reaching moral and social obligations to be considered.

Discriminating against tenants for the hassle factor is lazy, and producing a few examples of bad experiences with RA tenants is just an excuse to discriminate against people who are on a lower socio-economic scale; the elderly, disabled and other vulnerable people.

I am struggling now to find a landlord who will accept RA.
Despite the fact it has been confirmed by my CWO that I am eligible for RA, and I have a deposit and a couple of months rent saved to cover any delays of the receipt of payment.

After the initial hassle of form signing with a tenant like me, a landlord should be delighted to have guaranteed rent coming in, and a trustworthy tenant who would look after their property for a few years and treat it as my home.

How on earth can I even approach or present my case when the majority of ads on daft.ie state Rent Allowance Not Accepted.?

Thank you; says it all. Please God you find somewhere.
One or two agencies here will not take on properties where the landlord refuses RA. Others do sadly.

Graces7

BostonB wrote: »

Thats an entirely different topic.

The point of the discussion was why some landlords don't want RA tenants. The only way to understand that is to see if from their point of view.

:rolleyes:

We KNOW their point of view; money in most cases.

We are their clients, remember. We are paying them, not vice versa. Most seem to forget that.

BostonB

Thats point of running a business. To make money. That also why people work. make money to live and pay the bills. Even people who work for charities get a wage. So I don't get why thats something to be condescending about tbh.

The only real protection a landlords have is the deposit. Paid in advance. Human nature is that people are more careful if their own money is at risk. As soon as a tenant goes in arrears, or pays a month late, (or 3 months) that protection is gone.

The RA system makes RA tenants different by paying in arrears, often late. I'm not a landlord but I know people who are. One is into the 4th month of no rent from the HSE. The HSE can't see why this causes a problem for landlords and tenants. Well this thread is a perfect example of the problems it causes.

Graces7

BostonB wrote: »

Thats point of running a business. To make money. That also why people work. make money to live and pay the bills. Even people who work for charities get a wage. So I don't get why thats something to be condescending about tbh.

The only real protection a landlords have is the deposit. Paid in advance. Human nature is that people are more careful if their own money is at risk. As soon as a tenant goes in arrears, or pays a month late, (or 3 months) that protection is gone.

The RA system makes RA tenants different by paying in arrears, often late. I'm not a landlord but I know people who are. One is into the 4th month of no rent from the HSE. The HSE can't see why this causes a problem for landlords and tenants. Well this thread is a perfect example of the problems it causes.

Not all who work full time for charities get a wage by any means.

And re your last para; that is still no excuse for judging folk as is done here. Small wonder the numbers of homeless is growing so fast; or that so many have to take substandard accommodation.

Or that there is so much substandard accommodation in Ireland. Some of which, incidentally, would not be approved for RA by the CWO. We have had that happen. So yet another reason to refuse RA clients.

The_Conductor

Ok guys- the OP was asking- can a landlord refuse to sign rent allowance for a tenant made redundant? Yes, is the short and simple. I believe this has been satisfactorily dealt with here- and am thus closing the thread.