Rent allowance Help!

millynew

Hi,

I'm new here so I dont know if this has been asked before or not, but here it goes...

I am doing a FAS work placement programme and have applied for Rent Alowance. Between all the forms being processed there was a substantial delay and I had to borrow money in order to pay my rent during this time.

I was just wondering does anybody know if I would be entitled to claim to get at least some of the rent back paid?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks.

upinthesky

sorry i cant help but you could ring citizens advice they should be able to tell you

Balagan

There isn't an entitlement but you could ask the Community Welfare Officer for help with this.

Noo

How did you manage to apply for the rent allowance? I'm starting a WPP1 soon and also have to move and was told straight out by the CWO in that area that I am not entitled to rent allowance on this scheme and she wouldnt let me apply for it. I cant afford it and so my parents are gonna have to pay it (like everyone else they arent exactly rolling in the dough). Its the only opportunity since finishing college ive been given to gain experience and i hate putting my parents in such a situation.

Has anyone ever received rent allowance while on a WPP??

millynew

I just got it yesterday after two and a helf months!

You have to get a letter from the local council in the town first to say that you need special housing but that they currently have no available house for you. You have to fill out a form to get this. I think I needed proof of address, id and a statement fro the social welfare to show how much I was getting, but they will tell what you need in there anyway.
It can take up to 3 weeks to process this, but I got mine within the week so it might depend on how busy they are (or how lucky you are!)

Then I brought the letter to the CWO and had to fill out forms and get landlord to fill out part of the form and wait for them to visit... etc

Obviously I'm not an expert on this, but I dont think the CWO can just refuse you like that. You might be able to contact a complaints officer in the health board about it or you could ask your local polititian to look into it (extreme but no harm if Maybe try and get the letter from the council first because that is telling the CWO that you need help with the housing?

I hope you get sorted. I need to do the wpp to get experience for a post grad so I cant just up and leave!
Best of luck!:)

Noo

Yeah i rang up my CWO where i live now and he was absolutely shocked at it all. He said they cant just hand you back your forms and say no, they have to process every application and if you still refused you should get a blue letter giving the reasons for your refusal which you can appeal. I've left my number with the superindentent of the area, lets see if he rings back.

I'll look into contacting the county council if i dont hear back.

hoff1

How do you go about getting rent allowance , how much is it?

mp22

Here you go http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/supplementary_welfare_schemes/rent_supplement.html

moonandstars

My boyfriend and myself are both on BTEA and getting 37 euros p wk between us in rent allowance.... and a friend of mine receives 85 euros p wk in rent allowance for a 1 bed apartment! Its such a joke and so so unfair. There seems to be no fairness in the system at all.. so we are a couple, we still have expenses like everyone else, DOUBLE the expense.

Is_cuma_liom

My local CWO has a poster outside her door saying I should be entitled to over €50 a week but I only get €23. My friend didn't get what he was entitled to either and when he asked about it he was told the money wasn't there to give people. They just seem to pluck figures out of the air.