Rent supplement rules

MsFifers

Hi - does anyone know if you get the rent supplement allowance, are you allowed to contribute a top-up on top of that out of your own resources?

I have a tenant who will be temporarily out of work and wants to remain renting my apt. The rent for my apt is a bit over the max allowance he can receive. He is willing to pay the extra to me himself, but he says the C.W. officer he spoke to said he has to find new accommodation where the rent is no more than the max allowance.

We're trying to work something out as he has been a good tenant and he really doesn't expect to be out of work for very long. He wants to stay where he is obviously.

Apparently I have to sign a form stating what the rent is in order for him to receive the allowance.

I find this strange - why would the Community Welfare Officer not allow him to pay a bit extra out of his own resources? I can't find anything disbarring this on things like the citizen's info or threshold websites.

D3PO

the CWO is correct.

you can either drop the rent, or you can sign the form to say the rent is X and allow him to pay the balance outside of that and keeping it from the CWO (however the latter is morally and perhaps legally wrong so I dont condone it)

Jenn15

i was in a similar situation recently aswel and the max i could get was 900 but the rent was 1000 so my landlord done a contract up for 900 and then done another contract for my car space and put 100 on that contract so the LL is covered for the full amount of rent

MsFifers

Jenn15 wrote: »

i was in a similar situation recently aswel and the max i could get was 900 but the rent was 1000 so my landlord done a contract up for 900 and then done another contract for my car space and put 100 on that contract so the LL is covered for the full amount of rent

That sounds like a solution. Thanks!

Victor

Are there any utilities or service that you include in the rent - electricity, heating, bins, etc.?

MsFifers

Yes - just the refuse collection and contents insurance.

snubbleste

It's no wonder rents aren't falling faster
The state is providing rent supplement (a floor for rent levels) and then the tenants are topping it up further.

shoegirl

snubbleste wrote: »

It's no wonder rents aren't falling faster
The state is providing rent supplement (a floor for rent levels) and then the tenants are topping it up further.

And thats just it, frustrating when you are fed with paying 600 a month for a flat that should really be 400 and in reality your neighbour is getting it for 100 a month (and maybe a top up) while the state meets the difference. Its largely propping up the slum segment of the sector too although this is slowly starting to change.

The top ups are starting to dwindle with cuts in the dole and increases in tenant contributions. It was the norm for years but most of the people I knew doing that were working on the black economy and had a 3rd source of income anyway which was utterly illegal.