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Rental Accommodation Scheme

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  • 14-08-2012 5:25pm
    #1
    BlackEdelweiss
    Registered Users Posts: 1,535 ✭✭✭


    We are emigrating in January and are trying to decide what to do with our house. Can we apply for the rental accommodation scheme or is it only for landlords with a few properties or are living in the country.
    Can we have any input into prospective tenants?
    Is it a better idea than going to a rental agent?


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    #2
    athtrasna
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,420 ✭✭✭✭athtrasna


    Check with your local authority to see if they rent properties long term, as this appears to be most suitable for you. A work colleague got a 10 year lease on their property from the council, where they get paid a reduced rent compared to market rate, for ten years, regardless of whether the property is occupied or not. The council also deal with any running repairs.

    Private renting from abroad is difficult, you really would need an agent not only to rent the property but also to manage it and file tax returns on your behalf (the alternative is to get the tenants to withold 20% of the rent and forward directly to revenue - good luck with that!)


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    #3
    BlackEdelweiss
    Registered Users Posts: 1,535 ✭✭✭BlackEdelweiss


    I rang Donegal County Council and was told that the person who deals with that section is off until, wait for it, the 18th of September. Nobody else knows anything about it. What a joke this country is.


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    #4
    donalg1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,513 ✭✭✭donalg1


    BlackEdelweiss wrote: »
    I rang Donegal County Council and was told that the person who deals with that section is off until, wait for it, the 18th of September. Nobody else knows anything about it. What a joke this country is.

    That is a bit of a joke alright is there anything on their website regarding leasing your house to them. Surely there is someone else in the RAS department that could help you. Maybe not though given the moratorium and raft of retirements.


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    #5
    BlackEdelweiss
    Registered Users Posts: 1,535 ✭✭✭BlackEdelweiss


    This will make you laugh aswell. On the Rental Accommodation Scheme page on the donegalcoco.ie website it says:

    "Place HTML content here...."

    Maybe this is what they meant when they said services would become **** if people dont pay the household tax!


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    #6
    donalg1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,513 ✭✭✭donalg1


    I did find details about the long term leasing on the site, which I have to say is one of the poorest websites I have ever seen. But if as you say there is no body there until next month to talk to about this then I dont know what you can do. It gives a checklist I think (i didnt read it just glanced at it) so you could see if you comply with this in the mean time.


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    #7
    BlackEdelweiss
    Registered Users Posts: 1,535 ✭✭✭BlackEdelweiss


    I had a look at that stuff earlier alright but as you say with nobody there to ask about it what can you do.

    Roll on January!


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    #8
    chillywilly
    Registered Users Posts: 2,793 ✭✭✭chillywilly


    Off until the 18th of Sept, is he a TD by any chance?!

    Feckin hell it reminds me of Father Ted "They've taken the roads in"


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    #9
    Owryan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,024 ✭✭✭Owryan


    athtrasna wrote: »
    Check with your local authority to see if they rent properties long term, as this appears to be most suitable for you. A work colleague got a 10 year lease on their property from the council, where they get paid a reduced rent compared to market rate, for ten years, regardless of whether the property is occupied or not. The council also deal with any running repairs.

    Private renting from abroad is difficult, you really would need an agent not only to rent the property but also to manage it and file tax returns on your behalf (the alternative is to get the tenants to withold 20% of the rent and forward directly to revenue - good luck with that!)

    Are you sure about that ? I'm in a RAS house and all repairs are down to the landlord to sort.


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    #10
    athtrasna
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,420 ✭✭✭✭athtrasna


    Owryan wrote: »
    Are you sure about that ? I'm in a RAS house and all repairs are down to the landlord to sort.

    It's a different scheme afaik. The council are basically turning your house into a council house for the length of their contract, in the case I know it's ten years, and the ll in question definitely has it in their contract that the council are responsible for day to day repairs, and for restoring the property to its original condition on completion of the contract (if its not extended).


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    #11
    Zamboni
    Registered Users Posts: 4,305 ✭✭✭Zamboni


    BlackEdelweiss wrote: »
    I rang Donegal County Council and was told that the person who deals with that section is off until, wait for it, the 18th of September. Nobody else knows anything about it. What a joke this country is.

    Yes because the Irish State should really be rushing to manage your property for you whilst you head off.


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    #12
    Owryan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,024 ✭✭✭Owryan


    athtrasna wrote: »
    It's a different scheme afaik. The council are basically turning your house into a council house for the length of their contract, in the case I know it's ten years, and the ll in question definitely has it in their contract that the council are responsible for day to day repairs, and for restoring the property to its original condition on completion of the contract (if its not extended).

    Damn, was hoping it was the same, LL and council are disputting who is responsible for my water supply in my case, both pointing at each other and my muddy water is not getting any cleaner :mad:


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    #13
    el dude
    Registered Users Posts: 1,202 ✭✭✭el dude


    Zamboni wrote: »
    Yes because the Irish State should really be rushing to manage your property for you whilst you head off.

    Why is someone in that position off work for the next month with no one to take over his duties?


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    #14
    The_Conductor
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 32,285 Mod ✭✭✭✭The_Conductor


    el dude wrote: »
    Why is someone in that position off work for the next month with no one to take over his duties?

    In all fairness- he or she could have young children, be getting married or god knows what. Why are they not being replaced- perhaps with all the retirements and the moratorium on recruitment, people really are getting that thin on the ground? I don't know. It would make a lot of sense to have regional sections dealing with duties like these (where a degree of specialised knowledge could be built up and shared)- as was proposed, but it was nuked by the local councillors, on the grounds that it would somehow diminish the importance of their local council, were they to pool knowledge and resources.

    Unfortunately it sounds like a case of parochial politics, yet again......


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    #15
    BlackEdelweiss
    Registered Users Posts: 1,535 ✭✭✭BlackEdelweiss


    Zamboni wrote: »
    Yes because the Irish State should really be rushing to manage your property for you whilst you head off.

    It was their idea to set up a Rental Accommodation Scheme not mine. There is obviously some benefit to them from it.


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    #16
    donalg1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,513 ✭✭✭donalg1


    BlackEdelweiss wrote: »
    It was their idea to set up a Rental Accommodation Scheme not mine. There is obviously some benefit to them from it.

    The main benefit afaik is the reduction in Rent Allowance and getting people off of it. Plus they get to reduce their housing list at the same time.


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    #17
    Pawwed Rig
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 22,378 CMod ✭✭✭✭Pawwed Rig


    I would think long and hard before signing up for this. The obligations of the landlord are onerous and you have no say over who is placed into your house. In the event of anti social bevaviour it is up to the landlord to sort things out. If you are abroad this would be difficult.
    The maximum rent they will pay are the social welfare rates but they will seek to pay less in most cases. They usuallu only pay 11 months for each year as they assume most houses are empty for 1 mth a year.
    You do n ot have to get someone to file a tax return for you as another poster said. This can be done yourself online and is a very simple procedure.
    You also do not have to ask the tenant to withhold 20% and give it to revenue if you have an agent in the state who is looking after the house.

    I looked into the RAS scheme a couple of times but the horror stories turned me off

    Also afaik the landlord is still responsible for paying for repairs etc. All the council will do is put a tenant in. Everything else is upto the landlord but maybe that varies from county to county


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