Rent Supplement for single person living alone

gossipgal08

I am looking at getting a place on my own. I have seen several 2 bedroom apartment in my area with rent close to the RS limit. I am just wondering if I can get a two bed apartment or can it only be a bedsit/studio? I have looked at the CI website and found no information

ricman

I dont see how you can rent a 2bed apartment for under the limit,
SEE here
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/social-welfare/social-welfare-payments/supplementary-welfare-schemes/rent_supplement/#rule
it says 529 is the limit for single person.dublin.
Check with your welfare office,also get advice from www.threshold.ie ,or crosscare dublin 1.

gossipgal08

I dont live in Dublin. I have seen a two bedroom for rent slightly above the limit. My question is if I can get the landlord to take a small reduction (less than €10 a week) would I get rent allowance for it

The_Conductor

gossipgal08 wrote: »

I dont live in Dublin. I have seen a two bedroom for rent slightly above the limit. My question is if I can get the landlord to take a small reduction (less than €10 a week) would I get rent allowance for it

It depends on the deciding officer. Normally a single person would not be given leave to rent a 2 bed apartment on RA.

You need to contact your local social welfare office and discuss matters with them.

Also keep in mind- you only qualify for RA once you have been renting for 6 months.......

gossipgal08

I am getting rent allowance already. I want to move and there are several 2 beds close to the limit. There are not a lot of 1 beds and I have no one to share with. It is such a pain

gurramok

Welcome to life under the Irish social welfare system gossipgal08. Due to high rents, you are expected to share with strangers to obtain RA if you do not have a child already, that is in order to meet most RS limits in most areas.

It seems you are living in a low rent area where the RS limit for a single person may meet the asking rent so you will have to do an under the table deal with a prospective LL whereby you agree the rent limit that matches the RS officially but contribute that 40quid a month on the sly (thats the way it is for some RS tenants)

D3PO

gurramok wrote: »

Welcome to life under the Irish social welfare system gossipgal08. Due to high rents, you are expected to share with strangers to obtain RA if you do not have a child already, that is in order to meet most RS limits in most areas.

Well you can hardly complain in fairness the system is there to provide a roof over your head not to provide you convenience or luxury. If therfore that means you have to share well cest la vie. I dont think its something anybody should complain about (appreciate the OP wasnt complaining just making the point)

gossipgal08

The pain is that I dont have a person i get on with who I can rent with.

Can I just add the 'system' is run by a Government that has basically destroyed my chances of getting a job. Am qualified and ablebodied and quite happy to work for a living and pay rent out of my own pocket but cant unless I move to Oz

D3PO

gossipgal08 wrote: »

The pain is that I dont have a person i get on with who I can rent with.

there is an option on daft to find housemates i think. plus posting on gumtree might help you find somebody. sure they will be a stranger to you initially but hopefully the will turn into a good friend aswell as housemate

gurramok

D3PO wrote: »

Well you can hardly complain in fairness the system is there to provide a roof over your head not to provide you convenience or luxury. If therfore that means you have to share well cest la vie. I dont think its something anybody should complain about (appreciate the OP wasnt complaining just making the point)

Having a place to live by on your own is not a convenience or a luxury. A 1bed shoebox apt would suffice for a single person.

In your analogy, no-one should buy or rent houses/apts on their own as its not a convenient or a luxury, they should seek always another person to buy with as that is what the Welfare system says it should be.

shoegirl

D3PO wrote: »

Well you can hardly complain in fairness the system is there to provide a roof over your head not to provide you convenience or luxury. If therfore that means you have to share well cest la vie. I dont think its something anybody should complain about (appreciate the OP wasnt complaining just making the point)

Having paid out 40,000 of my hard earned income to live alone for most of the last 10 years I can't disagree, but the limits for sharing are even more unrealistic and out of kilter with market prices.

The problem isn't the tenants though, its the exploitation of low income (welfare or self-paying - doesn't matter as people in low to medium paid jobs are often in a worse position - a fact constantly ignored by the pro-poverty industry) by landlords and a lack of suitable accomodation at reasonable prices for below average income earners and welfare recipients.

That said, I do know far more RA tenants living in quite decent places than I seem to do low earners who all seem to live in very crowded or slumlike accomodation (as I did for many years myself).

shoegirl

gossipgal08 wrote: »

The pain is that I dont have a person i get on with who I can rent with.

Can I just add the 'system' is run by a Government that has basically destroyed my chances of getting a job. Am qualified and ablebodied and quite happy to work for a living and pay rent out of my own pocket but cant unless I move to Oz

I wouldn't go blaming the government for your predicament. They are not there to hand you out a job anymore than they are accomodation. There are things in like you have to work out for yourself and those are two of them.

RATM

shoegirl wrote: »

I wouldn't go blaming the government for your predicament. They are not there to hand you out a job anymore than they are accomodation. There are things in like you have to work out for yourself and those are two of them.

In fairness I have sympathy for Gossipgal as Im in a similar predicament. I'm qualified to Masters level and out of uni and cannot find paid work in my field. Shoegirl is right -it is not the governments job to get me work, I'm perfectly capable and resourceful enough to do that myself.

It is, however, their job to create the economic conditions that permit companies to employ people and in that task they have failed and failed miserably. We've already seen MBNA lay off another 70 people last week and Halifax and Band of Scotland have now legged it from this country, like rats from a sinking ship. Latest unemployment figures show an increase in white collar workers losing their jobs and now this recession is soon to get a whole lot worse. That's the governments fault, period. If they can't create favourable economic conditions then this recession will just go on and on indefinitely. I want to work but those muppets in FF deem it more important to throw money into black holes than go out and create jobs.

The crux of the problem is that our current govt. is more concerned about the financial wellbeing of millionaire bondholders than they are about their own citizens.

Celvapan

RATM wrote: »

In fairness I have sympathy for Gossipgal as Im in a similar predicament. I'm qualified to Masters level and out of uni and cannot find paid work in my field. Shoegirl is right -it is not the governments job to get me work, I'm perfectly capable and resourceful enough to do that myself.

It is, however, their job to create the economic conditions that permit companies to employ people and in that task they have failed and failed miserably. We've already seen MBNA lay off another 70 people last week and Halifax and Band of Scotland have now legged it from this country, like rats from a sinking ship. Latest unemployment figures show an increase in white collar workers losing their jobs and now this recession is soon to get a whole lot worse. That's the governments fault, period. If they can't create favourable economic conditions then this recession will just go on and on indefinitely. I want to work but those muppets in FF deem it more important to throw money into black holes than go out and create jobs.

The crux of the problem is that our current govt. is more concerned about the financial wellbeing of millionaire bondholders than they are about their own citizens.

Well said RATM, I totally agree. I too am in a similar boat-I am also qualified to Masters level and was laid off after 4 years of work at the end of July. I hate being unemployed and having to claim my stamps but have no choice as I cannot find paid employment in my area. It is up to the government create favourable economic conditions, thus creating jobs...what happened to the SMART economy?

Going back to the subject of RA, I am also currently in the process of moving out of my long term warm accomodation as it is over the RA limit and am moving into a lower rent appartment with storage heating...I can see another very cold winter ahead...good job I had the sense to buy a good winter jacket...what a luxury...

gossipgal08, when i went to see the Community Wefare Officer about RA, his main issue was the rent level set by the HSE to qualify for RA. I'd say if you can find a 2 bed for below the RA level, go with it.

gossipgal08

shoegirl wrote: »

I wouldn't go blaming the government for your predicament. They are not there to hand you out a job anymore than they are accomodation. There are things in like you have to work out for yourself and those are two of them.

Point taken but I am qualified in the construction industry. Thankfully my mmother made me go and stack shelves in a supermarket at 16. Despite a degree this is what employers want to talk to me about

Bob Z

:mad:

smccarrick wrote: »

It depends on the deciding officer. Normally a single person would not be given leave to rent a 2 bed apartment on RA.

do they care how many bedrooms is in it is it as long as it's below the limit?

gossipgal08

The point of my post. If i can convince the landlord to drop the rent by €3 a week. It will be within the limit and why does it matter how many bedrooms

snubbleste

gossipgal08 wrote: »

I am looking at getting a place on my own. I have seen several 2 bedroom apartment in my area with rent close to the RS limit. I am just wondering if I can get a two bed apartment or can it only be a bedsit/studio? I have looked at the CI website and found no information

Just to answer the original question.
The accomodation must be appropiate to your needs. For example the CWO would'nt endorse a single person with a three bed place even if it was below the RS ceiling.
As others stated, it really depends on your CWO whether or not to let you as a single person rent a two bed unit. You've nothing to lose by going for it, worst you can be told is No.

BrownianMotion

gossipgal08 wrote: »

The point of my post. If i can convince the landlord to drop the rent by €3 a week. It will be within the limit and why does it matter how many bedrooms

It might be frustrating for you but I can see why they would not allow one person rent a place with more rooms than necessary. The potential for fraud is too great in that you could sub-let the extra room to supplement your own welfare.

The other reason might be that they most likely see the RA limit as a limit rather than a target to be met. So if the opportunity to supply suitable accommodation for a lesser price arises then this must be taken.

In your situation due to the lack of supply in one-beds this mightn't create savings in the way the rules intended, however I'd imagine it's fairly sensible in most cases.

Bob Z

I'm in the same position as the op. I phoned threshold and citizens advice about this and got 2 different answers. So who is right?

Why should the CWO care if you can get a 3 bedroom cheaper than a 1 bedroom in the same area?

Bob Z

Could I lock 1 of the bedrooms or use it for storage or as a spare sitting room or as an art room( which I'm probably going to do anyway) would that be acceptable to the CWO?

The_Conductor

Bob Z wrote: »

I'm in the same position as the op. I phoned threshold and citizens advice about this and got 2 different answers. So who is right?

Why should the CWO care if you can get a 3 bedroom cheaper than a 1 bedroom in the same area?

The price is just one aspect of the equation- the number of bedrooms is the other. And no, unfortunately locking one bedroom- or converting it into an art room- will not suffice. Sorry.

BrownianMotion

Bob Z wrote: »

I'm in the same position as the op. I phoned threshold and citizens advice about this and got 2 different answers. So who is right?

Why should the CWO care if you can get a 3 bedroom cheaper than a 1 bedroom in the same area?

Who's to say that you can get a 3 bedroom place cheaper than a one-bed. (other than you) I'm not doubting you here, however it would be a huge administrative burden to check this for each applicant.

The result is they make a wide sweeping rule that eliminates the need for these checks. It might seem unfair to a minority like yourself but in general it does make sense.

Bob Z

BrownianMotion wrote: »

Who's to say that you can get a 3 bedroom place cheaper than a one-bed. (other than you) I'm not doubting you here, however it would be a huge administrative burden to check this for each applicant.

The result is they make a wide sweeping rule that eliminates the need for these checks. It might seem unfair to a minority like yourself but in general it does make sense.

I know it sounds unlikely but I know of at least 3 cases where the rent on a house is very cheap for different reasons eg the landlord wants someone they can trust in the place or the house has been empty for a while

surely if you explain that to the CWO?

BrownianMotion

Bob Z wrote: »

I know it sounds unlikely but I know of at least 3 cases where the rent on a house is very cheap for different reasons eg the landlord wants someone they can trust in the place or the house has been empty for a while

surely if you explain that to the CWO?

I don't doubt that, the point is that they can't just take your word on that and would have to investigate each case. That's not really practical and would be very time consuming and expensive.

This is just my opinion on the logic behind it though - so maybe if you put your case forward you might get lucky.

gurramok

From a Dublin perspective, asking rents on a 1bed shoebox(perfect for a singelton) can be around 800quid and a 2bed 900 quid, just 100euro difference.

The CWO will only give you maybe 529max, where is the sense and justice in that?

shoegirl

Gurramok, keeping limits low in Dublin ensures a long queue of tenants for over-converted and extended Victorian near-slums, thats all. Its not really geared for the reality, but then the market asks for obscene prices considering the circumstances of even most working tenants.

Its a very different situation outside Dublin but it does seem luducirous that a 2 or 3 bed property is only slightly more than 1 bed - perhaps this shows the extent to which 1 bedroomed prices are inflated? Indeed if single tenants can only get 1 bed units, surely this both incentivises landlords to gouge them to the maximum level while bigger places would be harder to let as families have a better chance of getting something on the housing list? More of a general comment than an answer.

I think it would probably depend on the CWO - if you live in an area where a 1 bedroom unit would be very unusual (small country village for example) then there is a possibility they might accept a 2 bedroom unit instead.

lovelylady2006

I think people are forgetting that the government introduced free labour in terms of internships and workplacements, which give companies free labour and the person doing the work earning nothing, so they have to go on rent allowance...I have seen work placements for a kitchen porter, as if someone can learn a lot from that, why pay someone when you can get a peron with a masters degree to wash dishes for free...so before all you celtic tiger people judge us ones fresh outta college, remember it is not the same, we are entitled to everything we get as the only thing we wanted, a career, has been taken away from us, nurses hope you hear us!