Council begins evictions

suicide_circus

So Dublin City Council has finally started to evict tenants who are in arrears and refuse to pay. OVER HALF of all their tenants are in arrears totalling €33m.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/first-dublin-city-council-social-housing-tenant-to-be-evicted-for-rent-arrears-1.4085923

My favourite bit:

The council has so far secured four possession orders from the courts. In two of these cases, the tenants paid the full amount of arrears directly; in a third the tenant is now repaying the amount weekly, but in the fourth case the tenant will not pay.

Absolute chancers.

Eric Cartman

Expect the fourth case to be messy, hopefully CAB check out how tenant 1 and 2 just got the money.

About time they started doing this, over half in arrears is a disgrace.

looksee

I wonder did the arrears include a charge for wasted council time and legal stuff?

suicide_circus

non paying mortgage holders are routinely named and shamed in the media once it gets to court, wonder will the same happen here?

Eric Cartman

suicide_circus wrote: »

non paying mortgage holders are routinely named and shamed in the media once it gets to court, wonder will the same happen here?

I hope so. I love playing google bingo with people named in those claim stories, they usually come up for previous outrageous personal injury claims or court appearances for crimes. Id imagine this will be a similar outcome if named.

LoughNeagh2017

I would be dining with the Gods if I was made homeless if you get my drift. In some ways I respect the homeless for staying alive but in another way I look at them with pity for not having the courage to go and dine with the Gods.

Idbatterim

suicide_circus wrote: »

non paying mortgage holders are routinely named and shamed in the media once it gets to court, wonder will the same happen here?

are you serious? these people are the victims, never to blame! Pisstake, trying to gouge businesses for more or increase east link toll. The fools voted against increasing the LPT. In hindsight, maybe it worked out for the best, these fcukers, taking the absolute piss! There is no respect for the money here. There should be no increase to rates, LPT etc, nothing!

There is no issue with the rates they are set at, I imagine the businesses are being taken for a ride with rates. Let them do their bloody job and get money in, from those who are getting their ridiculous cheap rent, mostly with the free money they get every week. Its really beyond a joke here...

James Brown

About time.
A great set up for those who need it abused by chancers. Kick them all out let them go begging to SVDP, if they'll have them.

Duke of Url

It’s the right path but I fear that the housing charities will fall victim to these evicted tenants.

Council housing should be scrapped anyway and replaced with short term emergency housing.

Duke of Url

Duke of Url wrote: »

It’s the right path but I fear that the housing charities will fall victim to these evicted tenants.

Council housing should be scrapped anyway and replaced with short term emergency housing.

But couldn’t they house one of their homeless families in there instead. They’d then be left with those that are known not to pay

Kermit.de.frog

The message this send out is very welcome.

Pay your rent like everyone else.

I believe it's only around 20 a week if even too!

That is 10% of income for social welfare recipients (or just 5% for two adults).

James Brown

Duke of Url wrote: »

It’s the right path but I fear that the housing charities will fall victim to these evicted tenants.

Council housing should be scrapped anyway and replaced with short term emergency housing.

Are you joking? The country would become third world over night.
The vast majority, who rarely get a look in, are low paid working tax payers.
You know unemployment is currently very low?

If you did away with it homelessness would explode.
In any case Fine Heil Gael have effectively created 'emergency' as the norm and growing.

I agree kick out all the chancers. The charities can stand or fall by who they give aid to.

James Brown

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

The message this send out is very welcome.

Pay your rent like everyone else.

I believe it's only around 20 a week if even too!

That is 10% of income for social welfare recipients (or just 5% for two adults).

It's based on income.

Again it's a great much needed system being abused and badly policed.

Duke of Url

Matt Barrett wrote: »

Are you joking? The country would become third world over night.
The vast majority, who rarely get a look in, are low paid working tax payers.
You know unemployment is currently very low?

If you did away with it homelessness would explode.
In any case Fine Heil Gael have effectively created 'emergency' as the norm and growing.

I agree kick out all the chancers. The charities can stand or fall by who they give aid to.

So you support people earning 70-80k living in council housing while people how earn pennies are hold up in Hotels?

Grab All Association

Sometimes people get into arrears due to the social welfare suspending payments, unemployment or other unexpected costs. Fact is the council owes money to some tenants who have overpaid too. Without knowing the circumstances of those involved I can’t comment on it. Hopefully it’s scumbags getting their comeuppance and not someone who experienced the above.

James Brown

Duke of Url wrote: »

So you support people earning 70-80k living in council housing while people how earn pennies are hold up in Hotels?

No I don't. Can't see how you came to that.
If you can afford to rent on the market or buy on the market you should move out or in the least be charged rent accordingly.

Grab All Association

Grab All Association wrote: »

Sometimes people get into arrears due to the social welfare suspending payments, unemployment or other unexpected costs. Fact is the council owes money to some tenants who have overpaid too. Without knowing the circumstances of those involved I can’t comment on it. Hopefully it’s scumbags getting their comeuppance and not someone who experienced the above.

That would be easily proved though. I say these are long term never gonna pay types.

Fanny Wank

LoughNeagh2017 wrote: »

I would be dining with the Gods if I was made homeless if you get my drift. In some ways I respect the homeless for staying alive but in another way I look at them with pity for not having the courage to go and dine with the Gods.

I'm going to be honest I don't get your drift. WTF are you on about?

suicide_circus

Fanny **** wrote: »

I'm going to be honest I don't get your drift. WTF are you on about?

he's not well

Duke of Url

Matt Barrett wrote: »

No I don't.
If you can afford to rent on the market or buy on the market you should move out or in the least be charged rent accordingly.

Isn’t rent capped in a council house no matter how much you earn?

meathstevie

Grab All Association wrote: »

Sometimes people get into arrears due to the social welfare suspending payments, unemployment or other unexpected costs. Fact is the council owes money to some tenants who have overpaid too. Without knowing the circumstances of those involved I can’t comment on it. Hopefully it’s scumbags getting their comeuppance and not someone who experienced the above.

I think you can rest well assured that all possible avenues have been thoroughly explored by the council before taking this final step, including involving the local welfare officers in cases of genuine hardship.

Would it be unduly hopeful looking forward to evictions for persistent and serious anti-social behaviour as well ?

Gentleman Off The Pitch

suicide_circus wrote: »

he's not well

He's the only true deep thinker on this forum

Idbatterim

Matt Barrett wrote: »

It's based on income.

Again it's a great much needed system being abused and badly policed.

the pittance they pay in rent is a farce! Way more should be generated from it, to house other people! Absolute disgrace!

randomspud

"More than half the council’s 24,400 tenants are behind on their rent, with 20 per cent more than six months in arrears."



What an utter scam. If this was any other country the scheme would have been scrapped years ago.

splinter65

I encountered a very young “homeless” family on Friday. Neither Simon or Focus would do anything for them as they’d made themselves homeless. This is the position all the charities will have to take to make sure that resources only go to genuine cases.

suicide_circus

meathstevie wrote: »

Would it be unduly hopeful looking forward to evictions for persistent and serious anti-social behaviour as well ?

yes that sounds a little to optimistic tbh

the question then becomes, what do you do with people who refuse to pay rent and get evicted or indeed people who cause such hardship to their neighbours through anti social behaviour that they get evicted.

Direct Provision Centres?

Fr_Dougal

Pure tokenism to appease the public for the increase in other charges mentioned above.

splinter65

suicide_circus wrote: »

yes that sounds a little to optimistic tbh

the question then becomes, what do you do with people who refuse to pay rent and get evicted or indeed people who cause such hardship to their neighbours through anti social behaviour that they get evicted.

Direct Provision Centres?

Nothing is done with them. None of these evictions happen without a prolonged period of negotiation and mediation first. Present at an eviction are TUSLA and Gardaí.
The kids are rescued from the parents and the parents are just left to their own devices.

Not that I expect any of the rabid crowd to read this, as it would destroy a narrative, but for those that actually like facts:
https://www.thejournal.ie/social-housing-rents-4399149-Dec2018/?amp=1

The myth of the free council house: 'We're not just handing them over, that would be crazy'
Dublin City Council tenants paid a total of €78.3 million in rent last year.

LAST YEAR, SOCIAL housing tenants paid almost €351 million to local authorities in rent.

According to Mary Hayes, administrative officer for Dublin City Council housing allocations, getting a local authority home is “not as easy as people think”.

And she said no one is simply handed a ‘free house’.

There is a strict set of criteria that must be met before a person can get on the (often years-long) waiting list in their area.

“It’s not a process of handing over houses for nothing. That would be crazy, particularly in the context of Dublin housing,” Hayes said.

So, how does a person qualify for social housing?
In order to be eligible for social housing, a person must be able to demonstrate a genuine need.

If a person owns their own home, they are not eligible. A young person living with their parents also would not be considered but, for example, if they have children and are sharing their parents’ home with other siblings and their children, then they would be eligible.

There are exemptions when it comes to owning property if a couple is separated or divorced and the home cannot be sold because it is the children’s family home, or if a person is at risk of homelessness.

When it comes to income bands, they differ depending on the local authority. In Dublin, the net income threshold for a single person is €35,000 and the maximum threshold for a family of three adults and four children is €42,000.

In Co Cork, the single person income threshold is a net €30,000 and for a three-adult and four-child family it is €36,000.

In counties like Carlow, Monaghan and Westmeath, the single person threshold is a net income of €25,000 and for a three person and four child family it is €30,000.

How much rent are people paying?
Again, this amount can differ depending on both income and location in the country.

For Dublin City Council residents, rent is calculated as 15% of the principal earner’s weekly income which exceeds €32 if it’s a single person and €64 if it’s a couple.

After the principal earner is taken into account, it’s another 15% of the income of each subsidiary earner on top of that. Assessable income includes payment for employment or self-employment, any social welfare payments, training allowances and income from pensions.

Shift allowances, travel allowances, bonuses, commission and overtime are all included.

Child benefit, fuel allowance, scholarships and charity assistance are not included so rent cannot be based on those.


Last year, there were 24,000 Dublin City Council tenants paying more than €78 million in rent. On average, tenants paid €272 per month.

Tenants of Wexford County Council are charged €30 on income up to €171 and an extra €0.24 for every additional €1 after that.

In Co Cork, tenants are charged €15 a week on earnings up to €140 and then 20% of all additional assessable income on top of that, plus a further 3% of that total calculated rent.

So, for example, two adults on social welfare payments with two dependent children would pay €238 rent per month in Cork county.

What about people who don’t pay their rent?
All social housing tenants are expected to pay some level of rent. There are, as in the private sector, tenants who do not pay and who build up arrears. The total arrears countrywide at the end of last year was €73.6 million.

But that figure has to be viewed in context, as arrears are carried over from one year to the next. At the end of 2017, Dublin City Council’s arrears figure was €23.4 million but it had started 2017 with incoming arrears of €22.5 million.

Some councils have much lower arrears than the average – in Westmeath for example, there was a 97% rent collection rate in 2017. The council finished the year with €6.2 million in rent collected and €201,000 arrears.

Mary Hayes of Dublin City Council said rent arrears are an issue for local authorities but she said there are consequences for tenants.

“We don’t do maintenance and repair – unless it’s absolutely essential – if they have arrears… they can’t transfer unless there is an urgent medical need. So they are restricted from a lot of options if they have arrears.

We are pursuing people so there are risks of homelessness attached to failure to pay rent.
She said the council is trying to move as quickly as possible through the waiting list but she recognises some people have been waiting a long time.

“There were people who had been waiting 10 years on the list and they were just on the point of being knocked off because their income was creeping up, so we did have to balance things out and pay more attention to the general housing waiting list.”

Earlier this year the council made the decision to stop prioritising homeless people on the waiting list. Instead they are being encouraged to take up the Housing Assistance Payment.

Now Hayes said the local authority goes through the list in order, so people who have been waiting the longest are taken care of.

“We are trying to meet all the needs with a certain amount of stock.”

She said people can underestimate the importance of stable housing in people’s lives and how it can have a knock-on effect.

“Housing is critical and when it comes to homelessness I am a true believer in the housing first strategy. We are pouring money down the drain with health and addiction services if we don’t have stable housing. It is always money well spent.

suicide_circus

this thread is about people who DONT pay their rent

Idbatterim

in relation to the post above, are these people in council housing paying LPT? are they paying a management fee if in apartment etc?