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Cuts to everybodies Rent Allowance???

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  • 10-01-2012 4:45pm
    #1
    MeBo37
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2 ✭


    Hi,

    I am new here... I have read that they are cutting the Rent Allowance for everybody... is this true?

    If so, how much will be cut?

    Thanks
    Tagged:


Comments

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    #2
    Lugh Ildanach
    Registered Users Posts: 522 ✭✭✭Lugh Ildanach


    There are new rent supplement limits now in place. These new rates apply to NEW applications and to review cases, so if you're already in receipt of rent supplement, you should not be affected until your file comes up for review. But you should prepare yourself for the inevitable.

    Here are the new rates: http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Schemes/SupplementaryWelfareAllowance/Pages/RentSupplement.aspx#Rates3

    There is a significant decrease in some areas.

    If a landlord refuses to reduce the rent to below these limits, tenants could consider lodging a application with the Private Rental Tenancy Board, as landlords are prohibited from charging more rent than the market value.

    These changes are on top of the increase to the contribution that you have to make, which went up from 24 to 30 Euro per week (from 104 to 130 per month). These calculations will be made automatically.


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    #3
    MickOR
    Registered Users Posts: 36 ✭MickOR


    How do you find out the current market value in terms of rent for your house? Our limit has been decreased from 650 to 540. Thats a serious reduction to try and negotiate with the landlord.


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    #4
    DeltaC
    Closed Accounts Posts: 28 ✭DeltaC


    There is only a very small decrease in some areas and categories, but in others there is a decrease of over €200 pm.

    A couple or single parent with one child in Wicklow will lose a staggering €225 a month.

    These are not just cuts to what they will pay you that can be made up by eating pot noodles one week in four, these are cuts to the amount of rent you are allow to pay to be able to get rent supplement.

    If you cannot get your rent reduced by the time it is reviewed (often at the end of this month) you will not just be entitled to LESS rent supplement, you will cease to be entitled to rent supplement AT ALL.

    I am going to see if I can paste the figures here in tables . For now, here is a link to the old figures:
    http://​www.keepingyourhome.ie/​rent_supplement.html.en

    Edited to add: I am still working on this (and pretty crosseyed) but as I do it strikes me as STAGGERINGLY unfair and unrealistic...there are no reductions at all in County Louth, but reductions of over €100 in Kildare, over €150 in Dublin and over €200 in Wicklow...the majority of other areas hover between €30 and €70.

    I understand the reason for making cuts, I understand that cannot be avoided, but they should be made more fairly, and if the cuts were made to the amounts you could be paid, rather that the ceiling on rent at which you could be paid, at least people would only be at risk of losing the reduction in rent supplement, not their entire rent supplement and the roof over their heads...


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    #5
    A Disgrace
    Registered Users Posts: 865 ✭✭✭A Disgrace


    Can't believe this went under the radar. As well as a contribution increase, the rental limits have been reduced, meaning that practically everyone on Rent Supplment is down a fairly hefty amount. Take a single person living alone in Dublin for example:

    Now has to pay €30 per week towards their rent, compared to €24 before the budget and also their rental limit is reduced to €475 pm, compared to €530 before the budget. This means that the tentant now gets €55 euro less per month (assuming they were paying the upper limit) as well as the reduction of €6 per week.

    The Government say this will drive rents down, but I totally disagree. Go on Daft and find me a place for under €475 pm right now (and I'm not talking about house shares, although they've been reduced also) but I'm thinking about people who are currently living alone and claiming rent supplement. If they're forced to re-nogeotiate with a landlord and the landlord refuses, they're out on their ear.

    And as there is not a single place (that I can find) available for under €475pm, they're now also homeless (unless they can find a house share, which is ridiculously difficult for anyone looking for rent supplment anyway)


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    #6
    DeltaC
    Closed Accounts Posts: 28 ✭DeltaC


    Change in upper limits on levels of rent at which rent supplement can be claimed for childless people (who can often be middle aged or close to pension and unable to adapt to shared accomodation or bedsit land)

    County|Single person sharing|-- Couple sharing --|---- Single ----|---- Couple ----
    Carlow|€260 > €230|€300 > €250|€468 > €350|€500 > €450
    Cavan|€195 > €160|€200 > €190|€368 > €325|€400 > €350
    Clare|€220 > €190|€260 > €210|€407 > €350|€450 > €380
    Cork|€285 > €260|€290 > €280|€468 > €450|€610 > €575
    Donegal|€235 > €195|€240 > €200|€368 > €315|€455 > €350
    Dublin - Fingal|€350 > €250|€390 > €330|€529 > €475|€770 > €650
    Dublin - other local authorities|€390 > €300|€400 > €370|€529 > €475|€800 > €700
    Galway|€255 > €230|€260 > €250|€468 > €450|€550 > €540
    Kerry|€235 > €190|€240 > €220|€407 > €365|€500 > €390
    Kildare|€320 > €270|€325 > €290|€485 > €400|€600 > €500
    Kilkenny|€260 > €200|€300 > €230|€438 > €390|€520 > €430
    Leitrim|€190 > €175|€200 > €195|€368 > €300|€390 > €325
    Limerick|€255 > €220|€260 > €240|€446 > €390|€500 > €430
    Laois|€235 > €200|€240 > €230|€407 > €390|€485 > €400
    Longford|€195 > €160|€200 > €175|€345 > €300|€350 > €325
    Louth|€285 > €285|€286 > €286|€468 > €468|€529 > €529
    Mayo|€220 > €195|€225 > €215|€450 > €390|€455 > €400
    Meath|€260 > €200|€265 > €260|€468 > €390|€550 > €450
    Monaghan|€195 > €180|€200 > €190|€368 > €300|€390 > €350
    Offaly|€220 > €200|€240 > €220|€407 > €345|€485 > €400
    Roscommon|€190 > €175|€195 > €195|€370 > €300|€375 > €325
    Sligo|€220 > €195|€240 > €220|€407 > €340|€485 > €425
    Tipperary North|€260 > €195|€265 > €200|€407 > €345|€450 > €375
    Tipperary South|€250 > €195|€255 > €220|€455 > €370|€468 > €425
    Waterford|€270 > €230|€280 > €250|€468 > €390|€470 > €400
    Westmeath|€220 > €190|€260 > €210|€407 > €390|€450 > €420
    Wexford|€260 > €230|€300 > €250|€468 > €390|€520 > €430
    Wicklow|€315 > €240|€325 > €290|€529 > €440|€710 > €525


    The changes...and there is no fairness or sanity about them.

    County|Single person sharing|- Couple sharing -|---- single ----|---- Couple ----
    Carlow|-€30|-€50|-€118|-€50
    Cavan|-€35|-€10|-€43|-€50
    Clare|-€30|-€50|-€57|-€70
    Cork|-€25|-€10|-€18|-€35
    Donegal|-€40|-€40|-€53|-€115
    Dublin - Fingal|-€100|-€60|-€54|€120
    Dublin - other local authorities|-€90|-€30|-€54|-€100
    Galway|-€25|-€10|-€18|€10
    Kerry|-€45|-€20|-€42|-€110
    Kildare|-€50|-€35|-€85|-€100
    Kilkenny|-€60|-€70|-€48|-€90
    Leitrim|-€15|€15|-€68|-€65
    Limerick|-€30|-€20|-€56|-€70
    Laois|-€35|-€10|-€17|-€85
    Longford|-€35|-€25|-€45|-€25
    Louth|same|same|same|same
    Mayo|-€35|-€10|-€60|-€55
    Meath|-€60|-€5|-€78|-€100
    Monaghan|-€15|-€10|-€68|-€40
    Offaly|-€20|-€20|-€62|-€85
    Roscommon|-€15|same|-€70|-€50
    Sligo|-€35|-€20|-€67|-€60
    Tipperary North|-€65|-€65|-€62|-€75
    Tipperary South|-€55|-€24|-€85|-€42
    Waterford|-€40|-€30|-€78|-€70
    Westmeath|-€30|-€50|-€17|-€30
    Wexford|-€30|-€50|-€78|-€90
    Wicklow|-€65|-€35|-€89|-€185



    Change in upper limits on levels of rent at which rent supplement can be claimed for families with children


    County|Couple or parent with 1 child|Couple or parent with 2 children|Couple or parent with 3 children
    Carlow|€600 > €550|€650 > €575|660 > €590
    Cavan|€450 > €400|€500 > €430|€510 > €450
    Clare|€550 > €450|€600 > €475|€650 > €450
    Cork|€705 > €700|€765 > €715|€800 > €750
    Donegal|€500 > €390|€550 > €450|€560 > €500
    Dublin - Fingal|€930 > €775|€1,000 > €825|€1,050 > €900
    Dublin - other local authorities|€930 > €875|€1,050 > €925|€1,100 > €950
    Galway|€700 > €680|€750 > €700|€760 > €725
    Kerry|€550 > €520|€640 > €550|€650 > €600
    Kildare|€750 > €690|€850 > €725|€900 > €790
    Kilkenny|€600 > €540|€650 > €575|€665 > €590
    Leitrim|€400 > €350|€450 > €375|€500 > €400
    Limerick|€605 > €500|€650 > €575|€700 > €650
    Laois|€550 > €480|€590 > €505|€600 > €540
    Longford|€400 > €340|€450 > €390|€500 > €430
    Louth|€600 > €600|€685 > €685|€700 > €700
    Mayo|€550 > €450|€600 > €475|€610 > €500
    Meath|€650 > €550|€700 > €610|€750 > €675
    Monaghan|€500 > €480|€540 > €500|€550 > €525
    Offaly|€550 > €500|€590 > €540|€600 > €575
    Roscommon|€450 > €400|€500 > €430|€520 > €480
    Sligo|€540 > €520|€550 > €540|€600 > €550
    Tipperary North|€550 > €410|€640 > €500|€655 > €525
    Tipperary South|€555 > €525|€645 > €540|€650 > €550
    Waterford|€550 > €500|€650 > €540|€660 > €590
    Westmeath|€550 > €500|€590 > €520|€600 > €530
    Wexford|€600 > €540|€650 > €565|€660 > €590
    Wicklow|€850 > €625|€900 > €670|€910 > €740




    The changes...and, again, there is no fairness or sanity about them.


    County|Couple or parent with 1 child|Couple or parent with 2 children|Couple or parent with 3 children
    Carlow|-€50|-€75|-70
    Cavan|-€50|-€70|-€60
    Clare|-€100|-€125|-€200
    Cork|-€5|-€40|-€50
    Donegal|-€110|-€100|-€60
    Dublin - Fingal|-€155|-€175|-€150
    Dublin - other local authorities|-€55|-€125|-€150
    Galway|-€20|-€50|-€35
    Kerry|-€30|-€90|-€50
    Kildare|-€60|-€125|-€110
    Kilkenny|-€60|-€75|-€75
    Leitrim|-€50|€75|-€100
    Limerick|-€105|-€75|-€50
    Laois|-€70|-€85|-€60
    Longford|-€60|-€60|-€70
    Louth|same|same|same
    Mayo|-€100|-€125|-€110
    Meath|-€100|-€90|-€75
    Monaghan|-€20|-€40|-€25
    Offaly|-€50|-€50|-€25
    Roscommon|-€50|€70|-€40
    Sligo|-€20|-€30|-€50
    Tipperary North|-€140|-€160|-130
    Tipperary South|-€30|-€105|-100
    Waterford|-€50|-€110|-€70
    Westmeath|-€50|-€70|-€70
    Wexford|-€60|-€85|-€70
    Wicklow|-€225|-€230|-€170


    As far as I can see in many areas, these levels will debar, at least, single people at the bottom end of the market out of the rental market altogether. Where are they supposed to live if they have no family to turn to? And who is going to fill all those ghost estates?

    I am recovering from bronchitis, my eyes are falling out, but I wanted to get this done before the country opens for business.

    Because this is an horrible, horrible mistake that does not have to happen...the exact same savings can be made far more rationally than this. Starting with switching to ignoring the amount of rent and capping the amount of rent supplement that will be paid towards it. But apart from that the cuts themselves need to be revised to be fair and realistic...

    There are ajoining counties I know to have identical rents that are left with dramatically different limits.

    ...and WHAT ON EARTH gives County Louth a special exemption?

    There is a part of me that is hoping this is a gigantic clerical error that will be corrected by teatime. That is how bad it is...


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    #7
    Graces7
    Registered Users Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    Thanks for this; thankfully we are in Cork and our landlord will be OK.

    Please, rest and take care of yourself?


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    #8
    DeltaC
    Closed Accounts Posts: 28 ✭DeltaC


    Graces7 wrote: »
    Thanks for this; thankfully we are in Cork and our landlord will be OK.

    Please, rest and take care of yourself?
    ...Ah don't worry, I am chilling now in a fuzzy little pink cloud of self righteousness for making myself get that finished.

    Cork is one of the best counties :)

    But landlords would need to be pure saints in Wicklow, Dublin or Tipperary to just accept some of the drops.


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    #9
    she s
    Registered Users Posts: 11 ✭she s


    in the price of a single person in Dublin just can find a place to sleep for the homeless


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    #10
    mp22
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Regional South Moderators Posts: 6,854 Mod ✭✭✭✭mp22


    We are not here to discuss the policy of the dept.

    Closed


This discussion has been closed.
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