rent allowance procedure?

electron

so what exactly is the procedure - in practice - for getting rent allowance?
let's say i have been renting for 6 months OR have been assessed as having a housing need...
do i then need to find a suitable house/apt and fill in the application form accordingly?
if yes... then seemingly the landlord will have to accept me as a tenant - and i will have to sign a lease -, before either of us even know whether (or for how much) my application is going to be approved or not?

Victor

If you are currently renting.

You do not need to move. Go to Community Welfare Officer and complete paperwork. There may be other paperwork you need, income statements, receipts, etc. There is a limit to what rent is allowed, depending on circumstances and area and the tenant needs to pay a proportion. There has been a recent tightening up of procedures.

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

Example Single person in shared accomodation in Carlow - maximum rent (including tenants contribution) is €260/month.


If you are not currently renting

If you are not currently renting, but have specific needs to change accommodation, e.g. health issues, extra family member makes current accommodation too small. Largely as above, but the exact details may be different. You need to find somewhere below the local rent limit and that complies with what is generally considered acceptable by the council / HSE.

electron

Victor wrote: »

If you are not currently renting

If you are not currently renting, but have specific needs to change accommodation, e.g. health issues, extra family member makes current accommodation too small. Largely as above, but the exact details may be different. You need to find somewhere below the local rent limit and that complies with what is generally considered acceptable by the council / HSE.

electron wrote: »

then seemingly the landlord will have to accept me as a tenant - and i will have to sign a lease -, before either of us even know whether (or for how much) my application is going to be approved or not?

what's the story there? ^

Victor

Well talk to the CWO first and see what they say.

Assuming they are happy to pay it, then the rent you can pay is set by the limit for whatever county you are in.

electron

yeah but i've heard that most often than not they will find a way to pay out less than the max amounts allowed.
and seemingly you'd have to pick a property before you hear how much you're gonna get

Dave_Dublin

I'm trying to help my sister with this and am finding it VERY frustrating.

She's 7 months pregnant and back living with my parents. Their current home only has 2 bedrooms and she wants her own place for when the baby comes.

The CWO told her she can apply for herself + 1 dependant at 7 months i.e. before the baby is born BUT SWA3 must be filled out by a landlord -- she doesn't have a landlord yet and cannot find one willing to hold a place for her in the hope that she'll get the Rent Allowance . . .

We're in Dublin so the max she could get is €930 per month -- she's found a perfect place 5 mins walk from my our parents' for €850 but the landlord won't fill out the form because she's not a tenant and she can't sign any lease because, without the R.A. she'll never afford the place!!!

No one seems able / willing to help and the CWO only sits on Mondays -- the following 2 Mondays are holidays so it'll be almost a month before she can speak to him again.

ANY HELP PLEASE ???

electron

that's exactly what i meant. comments anyone?

Nicole126

Dave_Dublin wrote: »

7 months pregnant and back living with my parents. Their current home only has 2 bedrooms and she wants her own place for when the baby comes.

The CWO told her she can apply for herself + 1 dependant at 7 months i.e. before the baby is born BUT SWA3 must be filled out by a landlord -- she doesn't have a landlord yet and cannot find one willing to hold a place for her in the hope that she'll get the Rent Allowance . . .

We're in Dublin so the max she could get is €930 per month -- she's found a perfect place 5 mins walk from my our parents' for €850 but the landlord won't fill out the form because she's not a tenant and she can't sign any lease because, without the R.A. she'll never afford the place!!!

I am in the EXACT same position. The only diffeence is I am 6 months pregnant. I havent been able to get any info from anyone about this. Have you recieved any help with this? I am currently working part time due to cuts in my current job and will be recieving maternity benefit. Is their anything that I can do to ensure I will have somewhere to live. My parents, 2 sisters and my sisters baby currently live in the same home as me and there is barely enough room as it is.

Dave_Dublin

I'm so frustrated with this !!

I can't enquire because it's my sister who's applying and they've told me that SHE'LL have to talk to them.

Obviously I wasn't going to give / obtain any personal info - I just wanted general details re: the whole procedure but they want HER to talk to them personally.

She has spoken to her CWO again (he saw her today by appointment as he only sits on Mondays) but, unless she finds a landlord willing to fill in the form and hold a property for her until she's approved, there's NOTHING he can do . . .

electron

and i would also like to know why so many people seem to be getting only half the amount allowed, despite having no other income than jobseeker's benefit/allowance???
this is precisely the reason i would be wary of signing a lease until i've actually been approved for the RA
can anybody help?

electron

see, this is a quote from another thread http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=72023943 :

Gatling wrote: »

and being a single male or female you will only be entitled to around 25-30 euro a week ,the CWO will recommend you find a room to rent rather than a house or apartment

admittedly that thread comes from year 2010 but the rates today are pretty much the same, if not less.
so seemingly, if i sign a lease for 400 per month which is the official guideline for a single person in my area (100 per week) then i could end up paying 70 euro out of my own pocket every week. even though the amount you're actually supposed to contribute is only 26.-

Nicole126

Dave Dublin - Did your sister need to be assesed as having a housing need? Ive been told this by a few people, if I have not been renting for at least 6 months I need to be assesed for having a housing need.