Rent Allowance threads being locked

A Disgrace

Why does every thread about Rent Allowance/Supplement get locked?

There is a lot of confusion about the new changes to the system, and understandably a lot of anger. If every thread gets closed, a lot of people are denied the opportunity to discuss the issue.

I for one only found out about the new rates/reductions through boards.ie

If the 'state benefits' forum is not the place to discuss, could a Mod please direct us to the correct location?

DeltaC

I just want to add my total agreement to this.

I am not denying the need for cuts. We had an overheated property market for too long, now that is gone.

I am aware of an all party agenda to bring down the rent supplement levels since at least 2006, and a second agenda to maximise the uptake on the rented accommodation scheme by any and all means for as long.

But, the way these cuts to levels have been determined and will be implemented is is so arbitrary and uneven across the country by country as to suggest some serious clerical errors are involved (from example the rent level for a couple or parent with 2 children is cut by a massive €230 a month in Wicklow and not cut at all in Louth).

But people need to know about and understand what these complex cuts mean to be able to try and comply with them, let alone question the fairness of them.

That is why I sat up for about 4 hours setting out the actual amounts in tables here http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056511017

...and have already sent the link to a few TDs and a couple of ministers so they can see the problem "at a glance".

There is a lot of misinformation flying around:

1. That these are rough guidelines
2. That these are the maximum amount of rent supplement that will be paid
3. That you will be allowed to make up any difference yourself
4. That these cuts only affect new claims (as they have in the past)

The truth is that:

1. Kildare, Wicklow and Dublin 15 are already served by the central rent unit, the rest of the country will be by the end of the year, and with that there will be no more "discretionary wriggle room". There are not even any stipulated exemptions for special housing needs and people with disabilities as there once were in the past.
2. These are the maximum amount of rent you are allowed to pay, if your rent is higher, you cannot claim to rent supplement
3. If your rent is over the new limits, you will not be entitled to rent supplement at all
4. These cuts affect new claims *and* old claims on first review, which usually happens any time between now and the first week in February

People need this information, and because of the timeframe they need it urgently. Boards has a high profile on search engines and a lot of people get their information from boards. It is exceptionally unlikely that people already in receipt of rent supplement, will actually be send this information about specific levels by post, they never have been before.

It seems very unfair to keep locking the threads and I honestly cannot understand the reasoning behind that.

Pin_Cushion

A Disgrace wrote: »

Why does every thread about Rent Allowance/Supplement get locked?

There is a lot of confusion about the new changes to the system, and understandably a lot of anger. If every thread gets closed, a lot of people are denied the opportunity to discuss the issue.

I for one only found out about the new rates/reductions through boards.ie

If the 'state benefits' forum is not the place to discuss, could a Mod please direct us to the correct location?

I completely agree. This forum was the first place I found out about the new rates and I wouldn't have known to start negotiations with my landlord without it. When I came back to find the thread to get the rates link I had to dig a bit because the thread had been locked.

It's obviously due to people discussing the policies of it and the rights/wrongs but nonetheless this thing is probably affecting an awful lot of us. It's amazing how little coverage this thing is getting in general. I just about managed to get the landlord to agree but it was touch and go. On a different day I'd have been out on my ear with nowhere to go because of this.

Maybe the mods could make a temporary sticky or something to keep the information easily available rather that shutting every thread down at the slight sniff of policy discussion.

DeltaC

Even if they would just sticky the tables I spent hours on along with a link to the official page (in case *I* made clerical errors!).

mp22

Rent allowance discussions

1)Every thread discusses the gov policies,how bad they are ect.

5. This is not a forum for critiscizing Government Departments or Semi-State Bodies.

5a - 5 includes the policies of the Government Departments of Semi-State Bodies

from here http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055070569

2) We then come to the people looking for new valuations for there properties

If I may suggest the property forum.

3)We then have the advice about telling the dept lies about the amount of rent payed.

7 - Do not advocate, hint at, mention, talk about or otherwise mention any method of defrauding the Welfare or Health Board.

from the forum charter


To sum up,discussion of policies---- politics forum,property value

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property forum,the change of rates wrecking your head ect

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the PI forum.
how to defraud the state

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the banned for ever forum.

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

cee_jay

Also if I may add, this is not the place to discuss threads being locked or whatnot.
If you have an issue with the moderation of the forum you can open a thread in Feedback, or PM the mods.

mp22

Thank you.

Thread closed