Can my rent allowance be cut if I refuse Social housing

deadmeat

I can't seem to find an answer to this anywhere but can my rent allowance be cut if I refuse Social housing?

I am married with 2 kids and I have been offered a house, mid terraced 3 bed. The reason I am refusing it is because of the size. I wouldn't be able to get our suite into the front room, the kitchen table wouldn't fit in the kitchen. Never mind the rest of our furniture. I don't understand how they call some of these a 3 bed house when they are the size of a 2 bed. I am not looking for a big house just something a normal size

I am currently renting a private house and have been in this house for nearly 10 years and it was an unfurnished house so we own everything in it. Lost my job in Nov 2010 and haven't been able to find anything else since. I would have to get rid of loads of our furniture and I can't afford to buy smaller furninture to fit into this house

cee_jay

The information on rent allowance on www.welfare.ie state:
You won’t qualify for Rent Supplement if you:

Are in full-time employment (30 hours or more a week). However, if you are assessed as in need of housing under the Rental Accommodation Scheme and have been out of full-time employment for 12 months or more you may be entitled to the Supplement - see ‘Employment and Rent Supplement’ below
Have refused a second offer of local authority accommodation in an 12-month period. In this case, you cannot claim Rent Supplement for 12 months.
Are leaving local authority housing without reasonable cause.
Have been excluded from social housing by a local authority for reasons of good estate management or anti-social behaviour.
Are attending full-time education. However, if you are getting a Back to Education Allowance or participating in the Back to Education Programme you may be entitled to the Supplement.

The guidelines state:
has vacated local authority accommodation without satisfying the Department's representative there was good cause for doing so
has within any continuous 12 month period refused a second offer of accommodation, provided by either a housing authority (includingincluding accommodation offered under the new Rental Accommodation Scheme) or any body approved by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government for the purposes of Section 6 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1992 (No. 18 of 1992) i.e. the Capital Assistance Housing scheme

So according to the guidelines, unless this is your second refusal of social housing in 12 months, then you shouldn't be refused rent allowance.

Lon Dubh

You might be entitled to a grant from the Community Welfare Officers for things like an oven or furniture. Admitedly this doesn't help with the size of the place, but just worth bearing in mind for the future. They would probably take into account that you already have furniture, but if it is unsuitable to the new place you might be eligible for some things.

deadmeat

Thanks for the info. We were offered another one but that was around Nov 2010 and I was actually working at that time. Had been on the housing list since around mid 2003 and that was the first offer.

sligoface

i think any one refusing a free house because it won't fit your coach, etc. is ridiculous. what size house do you think you are entitled to, I wonder? i'm all for people who are struggling to make ends meet being given help, but when people go overboard, it makes all people on benefits look like scroungers and leads to people encouraging the Joan Burtons of the world to cut social welfare benefits for people in need.

you should be careful about this. my sister, who is a single mum receiving no maintenance payments, lost her rent allowance for a year for refusing a house and it was her first offer. she fought it to no avail. she refused it on the grounds it had no central heating, they told her it did, but the boiler had been removed from the back garden and 'misplaced'. it also had no flooring whatsoever, was covered in dust, still had rubbish, cigarette butts on the floors from the builders. imo, much better reasons to refuse a house than stated by OP.

if there is nothing wrong with the house why should you refuse it? it's not the council's job to find you a mansion to put all your belongings.

daviddwyer

Your rent supplement wont be just cut you will loose it completely if you refuse this offer, as it is your second offer under your 2003 application. It does not make any difference whether or not you were on rent supplement at the time of the first offer.... it still stands as a second offer and that will disqualify you from receiving rent supplement.

Once the council considers the house to be of a satisfactory size for your families needs then there really is not a lot you can do about it.

Coming off rent supplement you may qualify for some grants for fitting out the house but you will need to speak to your CWO.

deadmeat

sligoface wrote: »

i think any one refusing a free house because it won't fit your coach, etc. is ridiculous. what size house do you think you are entitled to, I wonder? i'm all for people who are struggling to make ends meet being given help, but when people go overboard, it makes all people on benefits look like scroungers and leads to people encouraging the Joan Burtons of the world to cut social welfare benefits for people in need.

you should be careful about this. my sister, who is a single mum receiving no maintenance payments, lost her rent allowance for a year for refusing a house and it was her first offer. she fought it to no avail. she refused it on the grounds it had no central heating, they told her it did, but the boiler had been removed from the back garden and 'misplaced'. it also had no flooring whatsoever, was covered in dust, still had rubbish, cigarette butts on the floors from the builders. imo, much better reasons to refuse a house than stated by OP.

if there is nothing wrong with the house why should you refuse it? it's not the council's job to find you a mansion to put all your belongings.

I am not going overboard just stating a fact. As I said I am not looking for a mansion just something that is actually big enough for a family of 4 to live in. I have been in plently of coucil houses in my time but nothing as small as this for a 3 bed house. It is not just the size of the house anyway it is also the neighbours. There are travellers on either side and when I went up to look they has a pony in the back garden and one of the old style horse drawn gypsy caravans with the barrel roof. The house that we have been given has one pane of the double glazing broken in the front room. Is in ****e order inside and rubbish and matresses all over the back garden. Looks like it was wrecked by the last tenants. I know they will have to fix all that is wrong with it but seriously come on would you live beside travellers, I know I am being a bit of a snob but I have never lived in a coucil estate in my life but I wouldn't mind it if there were different neighbours :eek:

daviddwyer wrote: »

Your rent supplement wont be just cut you will loose it completely if you refuse this offer, as it is your second offer under your 2003 application. It does not make any difference whether or not you were on rent supplement at the time of the first offer.... it still stands as a second offer and that will disqualify you from receiving rent supplement.

Well last year they made us reapply again as they were clearing out all the people whio were no longer interested so I wonder would this then qualify as a new application as I had to fill out all the same forms as I did originally in 2003.

Once the council considers the house to be of a satisfactory size for your families needs then there really is not a lot you can do about it.

Coming off rent supplement you may qualify for some grants for fitting out the house but you will need to speak to your CWO.

You are wrong about the rent supplement being stopped. I rang the housing dept in the Council today I asked her if I refused would my rent allowance be stopped and she said no but I would not be offered another house for at least another year which suits me fine as I would hope to back working in the next few months. She did say that if I refused the next one within a year then it would be stopped which is what it says on the welfare site that was linked to above. That stated that if you refused 2 offers within 12 months then you would not qualify for rent allowance.

zef

How big of a couch and kitchen table do you need for four people?
I find it odd that you did not mention the state of the house, or the anti-social neighbours in your first post.

deadmeat

zef wrote: »

How big of a couch and kitchen table do you need for four people?
I find it odd that you did not mention the state of the house, or the anti-social neighbours in your first post.

Just a normal 3 seater & 2 seater suite nothing major. What you mean need? Do you get a couch that just fits who is in your house and have no room for anyone else to sit I have what I have as I have lived in my current house for nearly 10 years and had no intention of ever moving to anything smaller

Because the qestion I was asking was about the rent allowance being stopped and didn't want to start getting slagged off because I didn't want to live beside travellers. I never said they were anti social just that they were travellers. As I said the state of the house is not important as the council would have to have it all fixed so I didn't bother mention it before

MickySticks

Sell the furniture and buy a smaller suite? Beggars can't be choosers I'm afraid.

Good luck though, it's not easy for some people and I don't envy you having kids with no job.