Is there such a thing as a furnishing/applicances allowance?

marti8

I'm on DA and due to head to uni in Sept, my wife is my adult dependent who's also returning to college in Sept. We'll both be mature students of course. Anyway, we currently get RA for a house we rent, costs about €565 a month. Now we've seen a house for rent in the same town we're in for €350 a month and wouldn't mind moving to it as it looks fine but it's unfurnished, apart from a washing machine and microwave. Now if we moved we'd save the State quite a bit of money but to move we'd need to furnish the place! So is there such a thing as a furnishing/appliances grant that you can get from your local CWO? Even with that grant we'd still actually end up saving the State money!

Thanks.

MyKeyG

marti8 wrote: »

I'm on DA and due to head to uni in Sept, my wife is my adult dependent who's also returning to college in Sept. We'll both be mature students of course. Anyway, we currently get RA for a house we rent, costs about €565 a month. Now we've seen a house for rent in the same town we're in for €350 a month and wouldn't mind moving to it as it looks fine but it's unfurnished, apart from a washing machine and microwave. Now if we moved we'd save the State quite a bit of money but to move we'd need to furnish the place! So is there such a thing as a furnishing/appliances grant that you can get from your local CWO? Even with that grant we'd still actually end up saving the State money!

Thanks.

It's not very clear what exactly qualifies but here's the only information. http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Schemes/SupplementaryWelfareAllowance/Pages/ExceptionalNeedsPayments.aspx

I remember people coming into the electrical shop I worked in years ago picking out washing machines and what not charged to the Social Welfare but someone told me recently that's all been done away with.

As a side point your reasoning is sound but they're a funny bunch in the welfare office and logic is often left at the door. For example. My friends dad recently lost his FIS because their last dependent child turned 18. He asked at the Welfare office if even partial rent supplement would be made available to remain living at home. Computer said no, so he said 'that's grand'. He moved out of home, applied and qualified for the full whack and now they're paying him €400 a month rent allowance where they need only have paid him half that. Evidently they think the young unemployed have returned home to rich parents living in properties where utilities are free.

marti8

MyKeyG wrote: »

It's not very clear what exactly qualifies but here's the only information. http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Schemes/SupplementaryWelfareAllowance/Pages/ExceptionalNeedsPayments.aspx

I remember people coming into the electrical shop I worked in years ago picking out washing machines and what not charged to the Social Welfare but someone told me recently that's all been done away with.

As a side point your reasoning is sound but they're a funny bunch in the welfare office and logic is often left at the door. For example. My friends dad recently lost his FIS because their last dependent child turned 18. He asked at the Welfare office if even partial rent supplement would be made available to remain living at home. Computer said no, so he said 'that's grand'. He moved out of home, applied and qualified for the full whack and now they're paying him €400 a month rent allowance where they need only have paid him half that. Evidently they think the young unemployed have returned home to rich parents living in properties where utilities are free.

Thanks, yeah, it isn't very clear but I'm guessing it's unlikely we'd get it. Seems to be a lot of shortsightedness by officialdom alright. Oh well, we'll ask but we don't expect they'll say yes. As your example pointed out a little bit of thinking and flexibility and money could be saved. Oh well.

maryk123

If its a private rented house then the landlord looks after it. Tell him you will take it but you want those items replaced.

MyKeyG

maryk123 wrote: »

If its a private rented house then the landlord looks after it. Tell him you will take it but you want those items replaced.

OK that's actually problem solved right there. Dunno why I went down the other path .

marti8

maryk123 wrote: »

If its a private rented house then the landlord looks after it. Tell him you will take it but you want those items replaced.

He'll prob do that but only if we give him about a grand or two most likely. There's a reaason why it's cheaper then where we are now, it's unfurnished plus it's an older house but aside from that it seems fine. We don't have to move, we can stay right where we are and cost the taxpayer an extra €200 a month, month after month, year after year but we're thinking ok, we'll move to somewhere cheaper, save the State, the taxpayer a few quid, well more than a few quid, but seems it's unlikely we'd get any moula towards getting furniture and appliances. So, we'd simply remain where we are paying a higher rent and costing the State more than we need to.

gustafo

marti8 wrote: »

He'll prob do that but only if we give him about a grand or two most likely. There's a reaason why it's cheaper then where we are now, it's unfurnished plus it's an older house but aside from that it seems fine. We don't have to move, we can stay right where we are and cost the taxpayer an extra €200 a month, month after month, year after year but we're thinking ok, we'll move to somewhere cheaper, save the State, the taxpayer a few quid, well more than a few quid, but seems it's unlikely we'd get any moula towards getting furniture and appliances. So, we'd simply remain where we are paying a higher rent and costing the State more than we need to.

God you sound like a right free-loader who is happy to stay getting RA for the rest of your lives

MyKeyG

gustafo wrote: »

God you sound like a right free-loader who is happy to stay getting RA for the rest of your lives

To be fair he did say they were both headed back to full time education. That takes a few years.

marti8

gustafo wrote: »

God you sound like a right free-loader who is happy to stay getting RA for the rest of your lives

Well, if you had actually read my initial post you would have seen that I am just begining college as a mature student and yes, that will take years. Freeloading? Lol, yeah sure, that's why I'm looking to save the State money by moving to a cheaper place. Plus I am also being realistic even when I have my Arts degree it is very possiible there will still be hundreds of thousands unemployed, it is very possibe I may not even find a job. There are thousands of unemployed graduates these days, tens of thousands probably. A degree offers no certainty of a job, those days are long gone.