Rent allowance not accepted

birdyTree

I am so fed up looking for an accommodation for my friend whos on invalidity benefit (mature single person). It is now over four months and she is under pressure to move out.

I swear to God I will start treating all this people that I'm gonna notify revenue or any other bureau that they are just not registered!

The scale now comparing to last year is much greater and it is much difficult for those poor single elderly people to find some place.

ameee

While some landlords won't take it because they are not registered most won't take it because it is paid in appears and the limits can be lowered whenever the government feel like it . Its harder now because there is a high demand for rentals so landlords can take their pick of tenants. Have they tried threshold? Voluntary housing bodies in their area ?

Scortho

birdyTree wrote: »

I am so fed up looking for an accommodation for my friend whos on invalidity benefit (mature single person). It is now over four months and she is under pressure to move out.

I swear to God I will start treating all this people that I'm gonna notify revenue or any other bureau that they are just not registered!

The scale now comparing to last year is much greater and it is much difficult for those poor single elderly people to find some place.

Not all landlords are tax evading scum.
Some don't take it because of the poor experience that they've had with rent allowance tenants. Or the poor experience that some of their fellow landlords have had. My parents will only take professionals with top references. Why? Because in their experience they're the best quality tenants who are most likely to Kay the rent on time and not destroy the place.

That said are all professionals excellent tenants? No they're not.

Are all rent allowance tenants bad? Nope.

However just like all young male drivers get labelled with the "wreck less driver" stereotype as a result of the actions of some, so to have rent allowance tenants.

brokenarms

The house beside me is a rental and only accepts professional people. To be honest im very glad of it. There are a few houses down the road which accept rent allowance and can only be described as zoos with a bunch of animals resident. They are loud, always there and wreck the place. Its a dam shame the disabled cant get a place because of the reputation of others.

fussyonion

I understand how frustrating it is, looking for a place that accepts rent allowance and the upset when you discover "Rent Allowance Not Accepted" on the ads or from estate agents.

Believe me, I have been in this position and it's very disheartening, but all I can say is, don't give up.

There are many landlords who will accept it and you just have to scour the newspaper for the small ads, local noticeboards in supermarkets, internet (Daft/Rent.ie), Gumtree, or place your own ad.

It's hard and it's disappointing when nothing comes up but it will pay off eventually, so don't give up.

murphaph

birdyTree wrote: »

I am so fed up looking for an accommodation for my friend whos on invalidity benefit (mature single person). It is now over four months and she is under pressure to move out.

I swear to God I will start treating all this people that I'm gonna notify revenue or any other bureau that they are just not registered!

The scale now comparing to last year is much greater and it is much difficult for those poor single elderly people to find some place.

Your anger should be directed at government and the incompetence of the DSP and also at the people on RS who act in a certain way that results in all RS tenants being treated with suspicion.

I have RS tenants by the way.

hfallada

A landlord is providing a service. He/she chooses someone based on who is going to respect the house the most which generally would be a professional. Same way some landlord don't take students are they can be a night mare.

Why does everyone assume landlords evade taxes. A majority of them are legitimate business people and since the new rules on pre 63 have come in. The shadys ones are selling up.

ladypip

Im a RS tenant and im sure my landlord would agree a great Tenant, I've been renting from him for four years the rent is always on time, we have never had a complaint from anyone and we maintain the house to a great standard. Its a shame that some bad eggs have ruined it for the rest when looking for accommodation. Allot of the ads that say rent allowance not accepted will relax that rule if your friend has good references from a previous landlord. Don't give up looking.

Janneke

Scortho wrote: »

That said are all professionals excellent tenants? No they're not.

Are all rent allowance tenants bad? Nope.

However just like all young male drivers get labelled with the "wreck less driver" stereotype as a result of the actions of some, so to have rent allowance tenants.

... but sometimes you can get around the stereotypes.

OP, if your friend tends to come off well on first impressions, maybe she should contact some of those places anyway. I was on rent allowance before, and found out that my potential landlord wasn't so keen on it either, but was willing to make an exception. He said he just put that in the ad to deter "undesirables".

birdyTree

The post was triggered by the fact that the landlord my friend talked to on the phone refused rent allowance. We know why. The property was previously on the market but we dealt with an agent back then. The thing is that the agent told us that the landlord is not going to accept rent supplement because he owns another property too and for tax purposes he just simply rejects.

the_syco

birdyTree wrote: »

invalidity benefit (mature single person)

If you don't subtly drop this into the convo, start doing it. No offence to the nice RA people, but you have to make it sound like your friend is a nice person who won't wreck the place.

Also, as RA is given in arrears, can your friend give the deposit and first months rent to the new landlord out of her own pocket? Check with your local office, and see if the RA can be paid directly into the landlords bank account. From reading threads here, this is done on a case by case basis. Being able to do this would look well, as most landlords don't take RA tenants as they, or other landlords they know, have had months "missed" by tenants who get the RA themselves and don't pass it onto the landlord.

Remember; there is a lot of people who want places to rent, and you must make your friend desirable to the landlords. Best of luck.

murphaph

birdyTree wrote: »

The post was triggered by the fact that the landlord my friend talked to on the phone refused rent allowance. We know why. The property was previously on the market but we dealt with an agent back then. The thing is that the agent told us that the landlord is not going to accept rent supplement because he owns another property too and for tax purposes he just simply rejects.

Agents tell all sorts of lies. The agent won't have a clue about the LL's private tax affairs in all likelihood.

birdyTree

murphaph wrote: »

Agents tell all sorts of lies. The agent won't have a clue about the LL's private tax affairs in all likelihood.

No murphaph. We are certain. That agent and landlord are friends so he knows and informed in confidence or by accident or in good faith gave us explanation. Our town is small so you know things.

murphaph

Some "friend" for telling others that your mate is a tax evader.

Scortho

Janneke wrote: »

... but sometimes you can get around the stereotypes.

OP, if your friend tends to come off well on first impressions, maybe she should contact some of those places anyway. I was on rent allowance before, and found out that my potential landlord wasn't so keen on it either, but was willing to make an exception. He said he just put that in the ad to deter "undesirables".

Yes you can sometimes get around them.
However if you have a product in shirt supply and have the choice between professional tenants who are the type you've had good experience with, or rent allowance tenants which are the type you've had bad experience with, which one are you going to go for?

StillWaters

ladypip wrote: »

Im a RS tenant and im sure my landlord would agree a great Tenant, I've been renting from him for four years the rent is always on time, we have never had a complaint from anyone and we maintain the house to a great standard.

A lot has changed in 4 years. Deposits are not given by the CWO any more, so lots of RA tenants do not have one, rent is paid in arrears now and LLs can be waiting up to 3 months for payment. Also it's much less common now for the rent, or the State paid portion of it to be paid directly to the LL. It's very risky for a LL to accept RA tenants.

StillWaters

birdyTree wrote: »

No murphaph. We are certain. That agent and landlord are friends so he knows and informed in confidence or by accident or in good faith gave us explanation. Our town is small so you know things.

How can you be certain, my best friends do not know my tax affairs. The Agent was playing games IMO.

Sheep Shagger

Didn't want to tar all RA people with same brush so took one in a few months ago.

Started off well but has turned nasty, a couple of months rent paid direct to tenant instead of me that were never passed on.

Going through the serving notice process now. Suspect the tenant knows they can hang around a while for the PRTB to act so could be drawn out

At this point just want the person out so I can get someone who actually wants to pay rent on time.

All this while I have to cover the mortgage myself

thetl

The problem of landlords not accepting rent allowance is only going to get worse until the government start paying rents direct to landlords. There are to many RA tenants not forwarding on rents to landlords in other words Stealing money from the state, giving a bad name to other decent tenants .
Ask the majority of landlords with experience of RA tenants and you will hear, no respect for the property and late payments . Overall the risk is just not worth it.

riclad

There,s plenty of good tenants on ra out there.
Because of new rules ,theres fewer, small flats suitable for single people.
this is a myth , Most tenants claim tax credits ,on rent ,with property tax coming in,
I can,t see how any landlord can avoid paying taxes on rental income,or more than a year, or 2.
Unless he just rents out to close friends ,and tells em don,t claim,tax credits on rent paid.
IN my experience ,people on disability are offered a council flat in dublin,
after 3 or 4 years on the housing list.
OF course if a landlord ,gets 1 bad tenant, he may simply stop getting ra tenants.
the government is trying to reduce ra rates,
Which is making it very hard to afford ,flats , in certain area,s .
THEY could at least say,if i wish ,a single person,
can choose,to have ra paid directly to landlords bank account.

Mrs OBumble

OP, is your friend on the council housing list? What do the council say about the availability of suitable properties in the near future?

And if they're not on the list - then why not? This should be a priority for them.

Also, someone mentioned voluntary housing agencies. That's Respond, Clúid, various other housing associations. Look them up and ask them too.

fasttalkerchat

I noticed that most ads in the paper are cash in hand only or they ask how you will pay before giving their rate. If you want one who is through the books try online or agencies who also sell houses.

birdyTree

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

OP, is your friend on the council housing list? What do the council say about the availability of suitable properties in the near future?

Yes, my friend is on the list for over 10 years now but they have no pets policy. She lives on her own, no kids, no family and pets mean world to her. There is no way to convince her to give them up. I tried.

I will look into voluntary housing agencies. Thanks for that.

@Sheep Shagger Really sorry to hear that.

Gatling

You might be wasting your time with housing association's most of them directly take people from the housing lists council or other,
From experience single people are never given priority on housing lists ,families with kids,supposedly lone parents take up most of the lists ,I know family's waiting longer in some cases 11+ years to be housed

The_Conductor

birdyTree- the pets are going to be an even bigger issue than landlord's not accepting Rent Allowance.

With the advent of the property tax- its going to be incredibly difficult for any landlord to hide ownership of property- they are opening themselves to a world of hurt if they try. Landlords not declaring the income to Revenue- is not going to be an issue (and is massively over hyped at present- sure it happens- we all know at least one or two people doing it- but for every one landlord I know to be non-tax compliant, I know at least 10 who are, and to be totally honest with you- I do not know of any, at all, who accept RA tenants (purely based on past experiences, and/or the fact that rent is paid to the tenant directly, not the landlord, and in arrears).

We don't let property in arrears here (or anywhere else)- why should a landlord willingly sign up to rent in arrears, and even then paid directly to the tenant, not the landlord? I've heard so many horror stories about RA tenants screwing landlords over by witholding rent- that I would never consider them, were I a residential landlord.

Vis-a-vis pets- any property under 20 years of age, is most probably a leasehold property, and the vast preponderance of leasehold properties do not allow pets under any circumstances. Older property- probably might- if the person pays an increased rent and deposit because of the perception that pets may damage a property over and above normal wear and tear...........

Good luck to your friend- but the pets are going to be an issue, no matter what you do.......

carpejugulum

riclad wrote: »

There,s plenty of good tenants on ra out there.
Because of new rules ,theres fewer, small flats suitable for single people.
this is a myth , Most tenants claim tax credits ,on rent ,with property tax coming in,
I can,t see how any landlord can avoid paying taxes on rental income,or more than a year, or 2.
Unless he just rents out to close friends ,and tells em don,t claim,tax credits on rent paid.
IN my experience ,people on disability are offered a council flat in dublin,
after 3 or 4 years on the housing list.
OF course if a landlord ,gets 1 bad tenant, he may simply stop getting ra tenants.
the government is trying to reduce ra rates,
Which is making it very hard to afford ,flats , in certain area,s .
THEY could at least say,if i wish ,a single person,
can choose,to have ra paid directly to landlords bank account.

Is welfare really so insanely high that people can live on their own in apartments?

Gatling

carpejugulum wrote: »

Is welfare really so insanely high that people can live on their own in apartments?

Yes I know more single blokes renting on welfare 2 bed apartment's and 3 bed houses because they have kids that they never see or take over night but welfare pays for them to rent based on having kids,

In saying that I'm on sw due to 2 medical conditions ,but yeah single people can rent up to 4 bed houses using rent supplement its a total disgrace the system is a joke,

riclad

Gatling wrote: »

You might be wasting time,single people, are never given priority on housing lists ,families with kids,supposedly lone parents take up most of the lists ,I know family's waiting longer in some cases 11+ years to be housed

THATS WRONG, art least in dublin, most single flats are given to people over 65, or people on disability allowance .
SINGLE room, flats are never given to single mothers,
they get at least a 2bed apartment,or flat.
my friend was told by council,we cant give you a house,
SHE got a brand new 2bed apartment,,in dublin.Run by a charity,housing association,
She was on rent allowance for 7 years.

You have to apply to be on the council housing list first,
get a printout,
joe bloggs is on housing list.
AS part of the rent allowance application,
process.
COUNCILS are supposed to in theory build 1room,flats for older people,people on disability allowance.
i know a bloke on disability, age 47, offered a new house in 2009 by council in drodgheda ,2 years on rent allowance.

I NEVER said it was possible for someone, on welfare to rent an apartment on rent allowance.
i,m saying the no, of small flats ,certainly avaidable to people on ra is decreasing,
BECAUSE of new rules ,re bedsits, and reduction of ra ,
eg you can only pay x amount rent,per week,in a certain area.

birdyTree

Do you think that "Rent supplement not accepted" has anything to do with agent's fees?

Gatling

No its just a good few landlords have and a lot of problems with tenants on rent allowance as its paid to the tenant in some cases spend it and passes nothing on to the landloards

fasttalkerchat

Report them.
When you rent you will be paying rent and deposit up front so the allowance being paid in arrears won't be an issue.
If the allowance is cut you will just have to pay more in cash.

The_Conductor

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

Report them.
When you rent you will be paying rent and deposit up front so the allowance being paid in arrears won't be an issue.
If the allowance is cut you will just have to pay more in cash.

If the allowance is cut- its likely the thresholds will be too- and landlord's are supposed to report tenants who abuse the system by paying cash topups (yes, I know its unlikely to happen, however it is the law). If allowances are cut- the Minister is assuming that rents will be reduced by a commensurate amount (rightly or wrongly). In practice- many landlords will just decide to abondon taking RA tenants- and rent privately instead- as they don't have to worry about rents being cut without any warning.

fasttalkerchat

smccarrick wrote: »

If the allowance is cut- its likely the thresholds will be too- and landlord's are supposed to report tenants who abuse the system by paying cash topups (yes, I know its unlikely to happen, however it is the law). If allowances are cut- the Minister is assuming that rents will be reduced by a commensurate amount (rightly or wrongly). In practice- many landlords will just decide to abondon taking RA tenants- and rent privately instead- as they don't have to worry about rents being cut without any warning.

Is it possible to rent a house on rent allowance only??

If you're working your hours can be cut with no notice so RA is often more secure.

murphaph

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

Is it possible to rent a house on rent allowance only??

If you're working your hours can be cut with no notice so RA is often more secure.

If you're working and your hours are cut you can opt to reduce your other outgoings and maintain the rent. If you're on RS and they cut the limits, you have to move out unless your LL reduces to match. Different kettle of fish.

riclad

IF the house is under the ra limit,for you ,its possible,to rent a house
eg its usually single parents,who rent a house .
AS in most areas,unless the rent is low, a single person could not afford to rent a house.eg the rent would be more than the rent allowance limit per month.
The last time i checked ,the ra limit for a single parent ,with one child ,
was 900 euro per month ,in dublin.
Every area has different ra limits,for single person,parents with children etc

SEE the ra limits here,

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/supplementary_welfare_schemes/rent_supplement.html
They see to change the ra limits,every year.

fasttalkerchat

riclad wrote: »

IF the house is under the ra limit,for you ,its possible,to rent a house
eg its usually single parents,who rent a house .
AS in most areas,unless the rent is low, a single person could not afford to rent a house.eg the rent would be more than the rent allowance limit per month.
The last time i checked ,the ra limit for a single parent ,with one child ,
was 900 euro per month ,in dublin.
Every area has different ra limits,for single person,parents with children etc

SEE the ra limits here,

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/supplementary_welfare_schemes/rent_supplement.html
They see to change the ra limits,every year.

Ah ok. The system is very different than in the North. Here the allowance something like £70 per week, however if you live with someone they reduce the allowance.
A single mother probably could get something for her allowance alone but it wouldn't be suitable for having a child in.
What most people are doing is putting the house in the womans name as a single parent and her fella pays the difference in cash. Most landlords want a deposit and first months rent in cash regardless of any allowances.