Rent Allowance

Orla K

When the rent allowance went down I asked for a reduction in rent. It's through an auctioneer because the landlord lives in England. I wasked the auctioneer if I could have a reduction during the summer, he kept on forgetting to ring the guy about it when finally in September he did but got an answering machine, I was in there since and there was no word if the landlord would take a reduction. I'm quite broke at the moment, the rent was due at the start of this month, I didn't pay it yet because as the months went by I was finding it harder and harder to find the money. They rang me today to tell me I haven't payed the rent, I know I haven't paid, I don't know if I can pay, I may have to ask family for a bit of it (I can't go into the credit union because since this all happened I haven't been able to pay off the loan I have there, which I hate).

I'm at the point where I'll give my months noticed, I'm sick of the lack of communication and I've a feeling the landlord is just stalling at this point. I was having a look on afew sites and found cheaper places but none near me that accept rent allowance/pets(2 cats).

tatli_lokma

Orla K, what type of lease do you have? If you move out before the end of a fixed term tenancy the letting agent is entitled to keep your deposit. It will be difficult to get a new place with no deposit, and if Comm W officer already gave you a deposit they prob will not give it to you again. If this happens will you be able to get enough together to get the deposit yourself?

I notice you have only spoken to Letting agent - you need to get more formal. Put your request for a reduction in writing - post it, and deliver it by hand. Make sure he gets it. This may prompt him to get his finger out. Most likely the agent has not spoken to LL on purpose - the less rent you pay the less his cut is. Also if you move out, agent will relet the house and may even get more fees from LL for reletting so there is not necessarily any incentive for him to lower the rent.

Also give threshold a call - they can advise on how best to go about things from here - esp important since you are now in arrears and agent could issue you with an eviction notice, so you need to know your rights and permissions.

Provided you are not looking for an unreasonable reduction, nor looking for your rent to be below that of similar properties in your area, and provided you have been a good tenant to date (paid on time, property in good condition, etc) then a reasonable LL would probably agree. The agent is the fly in the ointment here - maybe try to find out who your actual landlord is. Threshold may be able to help you find this out (though PRTB, or it might even be specified on your lease).

good luck

Orla K

Who are threshold? I think I might go to a local td, the crowd in his office do actually do something.

tatli_lokma

Orla K wrote: »

Who are threshold? I think I might go to a local td, the crowd in his office do actually do something.

I seriously doubt a local TD would do anything - there is little he can do. The LL does not have to agree to a reduction if you signed a fixed term lease. I doubt a TD would be very well up on tenancy law, and would probably refer you to threshold anyway.

Threshold are the charity who advise on tenants rights. You need to get some proper advice, and these are the people to advise you. You are now in arrears and could be evicted without your deposit and no future reference for a new LL. It may not come to that, but the only way to make sure is to get informed.

Put threshold into a google search, simple as.
Do some internet research of your own - you need to become more proactive in knowing what you can and cannot do as a tenant, and likewise what the LL/agent can and cannot do.
Have you even checked your lease? what does it say there? are you fixed term? If so you would loose your deposit if you move out early.
You need to be more proactive - you can't wait for the agent/LL to come to you, especially now that you are in arrears.

Orla K

Fist I'm just going to say the TD can do something, where I am is not dublin, it's not a tiny place either but, the TD knows both the auctioneers family(family business) and mine and even the auctioneer when to school with my father. He can do something, even just talking to him.

I'm also out of the fixed term contract, it was for one year and I've been living here longer than that, I also asked for the reduction after the year was up.

I've waited because I am patent and think that people would be decent (I do be wrong sometimes and it seems like this is one of those times) but to hell with that now. I'm going in tomorrow (place closes on weekends) and I'm going to ask what the **** is up and I'm not leaving until I get an answer. If it's a no we're not reducing rent then I'll move out.

Dinkers

Orla. Cinckichick is right in suggesting that you become more aware of your tenancy rights and obligations. It's interesting how you are waiting to be spoonfed by your local TD. You have internet at your disposal, why don't you use it to search out the relevant information. Suggest Citizens Information Service as a starting point instead of your local TD. Even if they have made a hash of things leave him/her to legislate.

Orla K

Dinkers wrote: »

Orla. Cinckichick is right in suggesting that you become more aware of your tenancy rights and obligations. It's interesting how you are waiting to be spoonfed by your local TD. You have internet at your disposal, why don't you use it to search out the relevant information. Suggest Citizens Information Service as a starting point instead of your local TD. Even if they have made a hash of things leave him/her to legislate.

I do know my rights and obligations, I've even read the lease. I was just going to go to the TD because he and the others who work in the office are really nice, they won't just tell me stuff they would actually get onto the aucteer. Anyway I got a reduction and I'm seeing can I get a further one, on the bases that I know someone who started renting the appartment near me with same specs who's renting it for less than the reduction I got.

tatli_lokma

:rolleyes:

Orla K, if you know your rights and your lease, then why did you post initially?

Just a couple of things -
do you have a new lease for the new period and rent? you said your last one had expired.
second, do you realise that your rent allowance is based upon a percentage of your rent, so if you pay less rent to the LL then you should be receiving less allowance from SW. If your rent is reduced you are obliged to inform SW, as you are still obliged to pay your percentage - so if your rent was reduced by LL by €50 or whatever you need to advise SW of this and they will in turn reduce the allowance they pay you. It is not simply a case that you have to pay €50 less and keep the allowance that you have receive.
thirdly, you found it hard enough to get a lower rent as it is, and now you are looking for a further reduction! did it not occur to you to check out the average rental price for a similar property to your own before you went asking? if you have already signed the new lease, you may well be tied to that price.

That is the last of my advice to you - you seem defensive to being given advice, so after this I will leave you to it!

Orla K

Cincikchick wrote: »

:rolleyes:

Orla K, if you know your rights and your lease, then why did you post initially?

Just a couple of things -
do you have a new lease for the new period and rent? you said your last one had expired.
second, do you realise that your rent allowance is based upon a percentage of your rent, so if you pay less rent to the LL then you should be receiving less allowance from SW. If your rent is reduced you are obliged to inform SW, as you are still obliged to pay your percentage - so if your rent was reduced by LL by €50 or whatever you need to advise SW of this and they will in turn reduce the allowance they pay you. It is not simply a case that you have to pay €50 less and keep the allowance that you have receive.
thirdly, you found it hard enough to get a lower rent as it is, and now you are looking for a further reduction! did it not occur to you to check out the average rental price for a similar property to your own before you went asking? if you have already signed the new lease, you may well be tied to that price.

That is the last of my advice to you - you seem defensive to being given advice, so after this I will leave you to it!

The reason why I posted was to vent and I was wondering if there were less landlords accepting rent allowance (I should have asked that directly).
I haven't signed a new lease so the rent is free to go up or down with notice. I did check around, the other place was the only one rented in this block but, with other places they have all gone down about the amount I'm looking for. Also sorry if I seem defensive I just get fustrated.

Also about the TD he and the others in his office are unbelievely decent, I really can't say a bad word about them. They even arranged to get my granny new windows and doors, did all the paper work and called to her house to sort everything out(without my granny asking anything from them, they just noticed her place was colder/drafter than it should have been, or even an election coming up). Currently they are helping someone I know get a council house (she's been on the waiting list 6 years and she knows at least two people that skipped her) when she started on the list her children were under ten (devorcied and came back from england without a penny) they really helped her, they don't just tell you what to do. And I probably don't like them being bunched in with the rest of the useless crowd.

Dinkers

Who is Orla K's local TD and his or her staff. What political party is this. This seems to be old fashioned clientelism at it's best. No chance of sorting out problems on a national level for the benefit of the rest of us voter. Nice to hear the hard luck cases, but there are statutory and voluntary agencies who are available to help people. It is really annoying to hear of our politicians getting the praise and adulation for circumventing these bodies in order to enhance their own profile. I thought that sort of thing was long gone.

Orla K

Dinkers wrote: »

Who is Orla K's local TD and his or her staff. What political party is this. This seems to be old fashioned clientelism at it's best. No chance of sorting out problems on a national level for the benefit of the rest of us voter. Nice to hear the hard luck cases, but there are statutory and voluntary agencies who are available to help people. It is really annoying to hear of our politicians getting the praise and adulation for circumventing these bodies in order to enhance their own profile. I thought that sort of thing was long gone.

But of the three people he has helped (that I mentioned) my granny won't leave her house to vote, or for much else, the other person has put registering to vote on the long finger and I think I voted for someone else as my first choice last time. As for agenies yes there are but here you have to drive to get to all but one of them(and they are there just to tell you things), in the case of my granny it was brilliant, she didn't even know she could apply to get new windows. They may be just doing it to get votes but what is wrong with helping people, some people go into the office just sit down and have a cup of tea. There really the only place where you can walk into and get help with something rather than be told what you should/shouldn't do given some leaflets and sent away.

Also I'm not going to say who they are or what party they are from, I don't think it would be right.

One more thing I'm not going to say anymore on this because it's gone completely off topic. Stepping on the toes of a mod, there is a politics forum which would be better.

mikemac

Your landlord lives abroad

You know that 20% of rent should be withheld?

If however the rent is paid to the landlord abroad or to an account on his behalf the tenant must deduct tax at the standard rate from the payments and remit that tax to Revenue.

http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/it/rental-income.html

I don't know if that applies to rent allowance, I realy don't know.
But if it does then be sure to tell the landlord!

mikemac

Dinkers wrote: »

Who is Orla K's local TD and his or her staff. What political party is this. This seems to be old fashioned clientelism at it's best. No chance of sorting out problems on a national level for the benefit of the rest of us voter. Nice to hear the hard luck cases, but there are statutory and voluntary agencies who are available to help people. It is really annoying to hear of our politicians getting the praise and adulation for circumventing these bodies in order to enhance their own profile. I thought that sort of thing was long gone.

You live in Dublin
Come to a rural area, the local TD will do almost anything for you if there is a vote in it from you or your family

And some TD's do a huge amount for their local areas but you never hear of them doing much nationally. Hey, that's why the locals elect them

Whoh, very offtopic post for this forum

Orla K

mikemac wrote: »

Your landlord lives abroad

You know that 20% of rent should be withheld?



http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/it/rental-income.html

I don't know if that applies to rent allowance, I realy don't know.
But if it does then be sure to tell the landlord!

• Rent paid to non-resident landlord - If the rent is paid to an agent acting on behalf of landlord, agent is assessed on the rent.

If however the rent is paid to the landlord abroad or to an account on his behalf the tenant must deduct tax at the standard rate from the payments and remit that tax to Revenue.

I didn't know this but since I pay through an aucteer I'm going to judge by the first bit that they sort it out

shoegirl

Orla K wrote: »

Fist I'm just going to say the TD can do something, where I am is not dublin, it's not a tiny place either but, the TD knows both the auctioneers family(family business) and mine and even the auctioneer when to school with my father. He can do something, even just talking to him.

Hate to say it but you're very naive if you believe that a TD can "fix it" for you. He is only negotiating on your behalf. Its ultimately down to the auctioneer and landlord to accept your request.

That said, do you REALLY need 2 cats? I have lived in rented accomodation for 10 years and although I love animals I just pay the price of not being able to keep pets.

shoegirl

Orla K wrote: »

But of the three people he has helped

snip snip snip

OT I know but TD's don't actually "fix" things generally, they just intervene on your behalf, and then take the credit. If the rent is reduced it will be the LL's descision, not the TD. Don't be fooled by false claims. I've heard of so many cases of TD's "getting things done" when in reality most of those people could have achieve the same had they known the right places to go and the right things to say. Its highly exploitative of terribly naive people.

Incidentally, if you know of 2 people who "skipped" the queue does this not indicate that you are being cheated by probably the same TD?

Orla K

shoegirl wrote: »

Hate to say it but you're very naive if you believe that a TD can "fix it" for you. He is only negotiating on your behalf. Its ultimately down to the auctioneer and landlord to accept your request.

That said, do you REALLY need 2 cats? I have lived in rented accomodation for 10 years and although I love animals I just pay the price of not being able to keep pets.

I never thought he could "fix it" I just thought he could do something to help, that's all.

Also I got one cat for company, a fairly easy natured three legged cat. The other one more so adopted me for company(he was a stray), when I'm in the house he's follows me everywhere. They have nowhere else to go and they are more important to me than where I live. I would have settled for one but it just didn't happen that way. Even if I left the country they would be getting pet passports and comeing with me. I can't imagine being without them.

Orla K

shoegirl wrote: »

snip snip snip

OT I know but TD's don't actually "fix" things generally, they just intervene on your behalf, and then take the credit. If the rent is reduced it will be the LL's descision, not the TD. Don't be fooled by false claims. I've heard of so many cases of TD's "getting things done" when in reality most of those people could have achieve the same had they known the right places to go and the right things to say. Its highly exploitative of terribly naive people.

This is too off topic and I'm not saying anymore of it in this thread.

shoegirl wrote: »

Incidentally, if you know of 2 people who "skipped" the queue does this not indicate that you are being cheated by probably the same TD?

No, I know the full story and the answer is no, that's all I'll say on that.

Xiney

Right, this thread has gotten way out of hand.

For the record, I don't appreciate how judgemental the replies have gotten. Please keep judgement to yourselves in future - this isn't the place for it.