rent allowance

Tar.Aldarion

I have recently moved house and wish to apply for rent allowance, I qualify in every way apart from having no proof of renting in the last six months, I have rented for 6-7 years now. In my last place, I was there for over a year, there is no way for me to get proof from him, in fact to get on social welfare in the first place I had to get my old housemate to write a letter to them, with a paid utility bill in her name with it. They also visited the house to see I was living there etc. I have no lease or utility bills in my name etc, money was just paid into his account. I am unsure of how I could show I was renting there if I go down with the application forms?

Firewalkwithme

It sounds very much like your last landlord was not registered with the PRTB and paying tax given how you have described your arrangements with him. That being the case, he's probably not going to provide you with the evidence you require as it could show that he was not paying tax and why would he want to do that?

I know hindsight is a great thing but it's always better to rent from a registered landlord and have a lease in place for the reasons you are discovering now.

cee_jay

If the money was being paid into your landlords account, do your bank statements show this?

Yawns

How did you pay rent at all? If you lodged cash to his account did you keep receipts?

Also I think if you get assessed as needing a home then you will qualify without having to prove you rented. Have you got a copy of your old lease?

Firewalkwithme

Yawns wrote: »

Also I think if you get assessed as needing a home then you will qualify without having to prove you rented.

No, you need to be able to prove that you have rented for 6 of the last 12 months, OR:

Be assessed in the last 12 months by a local authority as being eligible for and in need of social housing. If you don't have a housing need assessment, you must go to the local authority to have your housing need assessed. The local authority must be in the same area that you intend to live and claim Rent Supplement. Only when you are assessed as eligible for and in need of housing can you apply for Rent Supplement. Rent Supplement is not payable while the local authority is carrying out a housing needs assessment.

There are a couple of other possibilities but they are a little more unusual, all the info is here:

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

Yawns wrote: »

Have you got a copy of your old lease?

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

I have no lease or utility bills in my name etc,

Tar.Aldarion

Cartoon_Head wrote: »

It sounds very much like your last landlord was not registered with the PRTB and paying tax given how you have described your arrangements with him. That being the case, he's probably not going to provide you with the evidence you require as it could show that he was not paying tax and why would he want to do that?

I know hindsight is a great thing but it's always better to rent from a registered landlord and have a lease in place for the reasons you are discovering now.

I don't think it was like that. There was a lease in place with the people living there and one moved out, he left it to the housemates to get a replacement and so I moved in. Either way I doubt I'll be getting any proof from him.

cee_jay wrote: »

If the money was being paid into your landlords account, do your bank statements show this?

Yawns wrote: »

How did you pay rent at all? If you lodged cash to his account did you keep receipts?

Also I think if you get assessed as needing a home then you will qualify without having to prove you rented. Have you got a copy of your old lease?

My housemate paid the rent, there was jsut the two of us, I jsut gave her the money to do this. At a loss of how to say this to them and prove it now.

My housemate paid the rent, there was jsut the two of us, I jsut gave her the money to do this

All the bills were paid by housemate etc and I've definitely been more careful in my new house, getting proof etc.

cee_jay

Well if you have been claiming social welfare from this address for the past 6 months or so that will go towards some proof. However, the Community Welfare Officer may need something else. I would start badgering the landlord for a letter stating the dates you have been resident there. Also get a letter from your flatmate to say this also with a utility bill in their name.

Yawns

tough one all right. Maybe ask her to visit the CWO with you and bring some statements if she would be willing to do that?

Explain the situation to the cwo and see what agreement you can reach. Tricky situation all right.

Firewalkwithme

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

There was a lease in place with the people living there and one moved out, he left it to the housemates to get a replacement and so I moved in. Either way I doubt I'll be getting any proof from him. My housemate paid the rent, there was jsut the two of us, I jsut gave her the money to do this. At a loss of how to say this to them and prove it now.

Well in that case you were sub-letting from your housemate rather than directly from the landlord. You might be able to get your housemate to sign an legal affidavit to confirm this was the case. It would cost about 75 euro so better check with the Community Welfare Officer to see if this would be acceptable. I had to get one when I was applying for Rent Supplement to prove that I was separated from my wife - the CWO asked for it specifically.

Tar.Aldarion

Cartoon_Head wrote: »

Well in that case you were sub-letting from your housemate rather than directly from the landlord. You might be able to get your housemate to sign an legal affidavit to confirm this was the case. It would cost about 75 euro so better check with the Community Welfare Officer to see if this would be acceptable. I had to get one when I was applying for Rent Supplement to prove that I was separated from my wife - the CWO asked for it specifically.

Yawns wrote: »

tough one all right. Maybe ask her to visit the CWO with you and bring some statements if she would be willing to do that?

Explain the situation to the cwo and see what agreement you can reach. Tricky situation all right.

cee_jay wrote: »

Well if you have been claiming social welfare from this address for the past 6 months or so that will go towards some proof. However, the Community Welfare Officer may need something else. I would start badgering the landlord for a letter stating the dates you have been resident there. Also get a letter from your flatmate to say this also with a utility bill in their name.

Thanks very much guys, I will go down and ask if a letter+paid bill or a legal affidavit will do. Is sub-letting like that allowed, I mean do you legally have to have your name on a lease there etc?

Firewalkwithme

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Is sub-letting like that allowed, I mean do you legally have to have your name on a lease there etc?

It's at the discretion of the landlord whether to allow it or not really but the question for you is would the CWO regard that kind of arrangement as being valid to allow you qualify for Rent Supplement, so yeah, you would have to ask him.

Tar.Aldarion

Ah ok thanks, I'll just go down and ask! After I ask my mother of course, who works in a different social welfare office!