More Rent Allowance - Specific Situation

randofmact

Hello Boards,
Hoping that i might be able to get peoples opinions on my current situation;
I've been working for the last ten years and found out that i will loosing my job in the next couple of weeks. I have no malice toward my company as we are in construction and this has been coming for the last couple of years, thers is just no room for a company such as ours in the market. Anyway;
I am rent a 1 bed apartment by myself in my town in Co. Cork for the last 2 years at 350/ month. As i am by myself i amy paying all bills, etc. in full myself.
I know that i can get rent allowance in my current address with the usual conditions applying to this, i.e. me paying €30/week myself, etc.
What i was wondering is:
Can i move into accomodation with someone else and claim rent allowance for my half of the rent. I know a friend who is moving into a 2 bed house in my village where i would have a better support group etc. The rent would be € 550 / month so i would be responsible for € 275 which is less than my current rent. I know this would not save me money as i would still have to pay the € 30 minimum, but it would mean that my bills would be halfed for ESB, Gas and TV.
The lease on the new house would not start until 1st March, we could move in there now if we wanted to. If i moved from a more expensive accomodation to a cheaper house share and then was made unemployed two weeks later would i get the Rent Allowance?
Any help or opinions would be appreciated. I do intend to talk to someone in the SW about this also but any info you may add may be a help.

Balagan

randofmact wrote: »

Hello Boards,
Hoping that i might be able to get peoples opinions on my current situation;
I've been working for the last ten years and found out that i will loosing my job in the next couple of weeks. I have no malice toward my company as we are in construction and this has been coming for the last couple of years, thers is just no room for a company such as ours in the market. Anyway;
I am rent a 1 bed apartment by myself in my town in Co. Cork for the last 2 years at 350/ month. As i am by myself i amy paying all bills, etc. in full myself.
I know that i can get rent allowance in my current address with the usual conditions applying to this, i.e. me paying €30/week myself, etc.
What i was wondering is:
Can i move into accomodation with someone else and claim rent allowance for my half of the rent. I know a friend who is moving into a 2 bed house in my village where i would have a better support group etc. The rent would be € 550 / month so i would be responsible for € 275 which is less than my current rent. I know this would not save me money as i would still have to pay the € 30 minimum, but it would mean that my bills would be halfed for ESB, Gas and TV.
The lease on the new house would not start until 1st March, we could move in there now if we wanted to. If i moved from a more expensive accomodation to a cheaper house share and then was made unemployed two weeks later would i get the Rent Allowance?
Any help or opinions would be appreciated. I do intend to talk to someone in the SW about this also but any info you may add may be a help.

To apply for Rent Supplement you need to go to the Community Welfare Officer. They now work under the Dept of Social Protection but are still operating out of the HSE health centres http://www.welfare.ie/EN/ContactUs/Pages/cwo_contact.aspx
The qualifying criteria about renting for at least 6 months prior to applying does not apply to any particular property and could have been for a number of properties. Just hold on to your lease/bills etc., for the old place if you do move. They will ask questions and visit where you are living when you apply and will check that you are living independently while sharing, rather than cohabiting so get all your names on the new lease etc., and keep details of bills you are paying individually. The amounts payable for a single person sharing are less than payable for a single person on their own, so check her that you would be within the limits http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/supplementary_welfare_schemes/rent_supplement.html and the link also gives details of the means testing involved.

Jesus Shaves

The rent cap for a single person living in shared accommodation in Cork is €260, you will have to prove that you have been living in rented accommodation for 6 months prior to your application, keep your old rent book or rent receipts.

randofmact

Thanks for Balagan, I spoke to a retired SW worker last night and they put my mind at ease as regards the changing properties, as long as i can prove the rent etc for my current property, as ye have.

Hadn't realised about the € 260 cap though darokan, thanks for pointing that out as the new shared property is on at 550 which means they would not cover my rental half.

I'm feeling a bit more at ease about the whole situation now though at least

MrBadger

randofmact wrote: »

Hadn't realised about the € 260 cap though darokan, thanks for pointing that out as the new shared property is on at 550 which means they would not cover my rental half.

Could you take whichever is the smaller/less nice room and split the rent 60:40 or something? I don't think you have to be splitting the rent 50:50 to apply for rent allowance

randofmact

Ya, i'm pretty sure that i could do that alright, but then the other person would have to pay a larger than fair share. I would prefer to be able to pay 50:50 should i do a move like this.

Early days yet, so i'll look around and see whats there.

I was considering a different flat in the same village which is on for €500 but i've spoken to the agent and i would get it for €450. This is at the limit of the RA cap for the area, but still eligable. The place where i am now is €350 though, i'm wondering would there be anything said for moving to a more expensive apartment. My current lease is out at the end of this month, so i could get my LL to say that he was going to put the rent up to €450 if there was any issue. He was recieving €480 before i moved in but did me a deal as he knows me through work.