Applying for Rent Allowance when pregnant

WeeCuppaCha

I'm going to see the SWO next week about rent allowance. I hope to have as much documentation as possible pulled together and ready to go. At the moment, as a married couple, with no children, we are in a property where the rent is €130 per month more than the capped allowable amount so understand that we would not normally qualify. However, I will be 27 weeks pregnant when I go to see him/her. Also, I have paid rent until 31st of May, therefore will be 30 weeks pregnant when my next rent payment is due.

I'm wondering if they are likely to make allowances for granting rent supplement to someone in my situation or will they refuse me point blank on the basis that the baby will not actually be here for another 10 weeks after the next rent payment is due. Hope that makes sense!

Thanks in advance for any advice received.

ABajaninCork

If your rent is over the RA threshold for your area, you will almost certainly be refused. Have a look here which will give you the limits for your area.

Have you been assessed for LA Housing? You need to be assessed before you can be considered for RA. All I can suggest is that you plead your case with the CWO.

WeeCuppaCha

Hi and thanks for the reply.

No, I haven't been assessed for LA Housing, but I've been renting privately for over 3 years and in this particular property for 5 months. Does this not satisfy the criteria also? The only reason I'm now having to apply for rent allowance is that I'm losing my (part-time) job. My husband is unfortunately unemployed also. We were able to just about manage the rent until now, however losing my wage is going to make that impossible.

I'm aware that we are over the threshold as things are at this minute in time in our current house. However, when the baby comes, we will be within the limits they have outlined for our area. I suppose I'm wondering if there is any point applying while we are still a childless couple or will their 'discretion' stretch far enough to grant us the allowance when I'm over 7 months pregnant.

ABajaninCork

Not only do you have to been renting privately for at least six months prior (which you have), but you also have to assessed by the LA as being in need of housing BEFORE Rent Supplement can be paid.

Your baby's due shortly. I would imagine the CWO will use common sense and assess you as a family, but don't bet on it!!

WeeCuppaCha

The rules on citizens information are as follows:

You may get Rent Supplement if you have been living for 6 months (183 days) out of the last 12 months in one, or a combination, of the following:

• Accommodation for homeless people.
• Private rented accommodation. You can combine time living in more than one rented accommodation to satisfy the 6 months (183 days). You must be able to show that you could afford the rent at the beginning of your tenancy and that you could have continued to pay rent but are unable to do so because of a change in your circumstances which occurred after you started renting.
• An institution, for example, a hospital, care home or place of detention.

Or
Have been assessed by a local authority as being eligible for and in need of social housing in the last 12 months. If you don't have a housing need assessment, you must go to the local authority to have your housing need assessed. The local authority must be in the area that you intend to live and claim Rent Supplement. Only when you are assessed as eligible for and in need of housing can you apply for Rent Supplement.


So from that I took it to be sufficient to have only rented privately for at least 6 months. Unless the Citizens Info site is out of date? God, I hope not...

I'm with you on hoping that common sense will prevail, but I'm also not willing to bet any money (that I don't have) on it either. At this rate the baby'll be born in a manger!

ABajaninCork

The rules changed some time ago, I believe. I'm also on RA and had to supply proof we were assessed by the council as being in need, before the RA could be paid.

WeeCuppaCha

Noooooooo This is not good news. Not wishing to shoot the messenger or anything, but that is really ****. If you're right, I can only pray for a reasonable person when I meet with them next week. If not, we're screwed.

ABajaninCork

Just send your hubby (as he's not working!) down to the council offices and get the ball rolling. When you see the CWO, tell them you're in the process of applying for social housing and therefore being assessed. Tell them the paperwork will follow when complete. Don't forget to keep copies.

Yawns

You won't get it. I know it says OR but when you go there with the forms or send it to a central rents unit, you will be refused. You need to be on the LA housing list these days. Also you will be on the rates for couple until you actually have the child. They will not budge on this. You must have the child first. Common sense doesn't come into it anymore. They have to follow procedure to the letter now.

WeeCuppaCha

Thanks guys, I'll defo get moving on that. I can live with not receiving anything utnil babe is in arms, I can understand that. But I'm a bit anxious that I won't be approved for LA housing as I own a property in another county, which is rented out. Although this house is in negative equity and the rent is not covering the mortgage each month. What do you think? Will I be refused for LA housing because of this noose around my neck that I can't sell even if I wanted to?

Yawns

I would think it would be very hard for you to receive it. I came across a thread where a guy was looking for a letter from his bank. He needed this certain letter for the council. Bear with me while I look for the thread. It's not much info, but I think your situation can't really be answered by anyone here unfortunately. If I was to guess, I'd have to say you could well be refused because in simple terms, you have a house so by definition you are not in need of housing. If it was going to be repossessed, it would be a different situation I'd imagine. This is what the guy needed a letter for I think.

If you do get Rent Allowance, it's important to note that it's paid in arrears and it can take a while before the payments come through. So if you get it paid into a bank account, it's usually paid once a month at the end of the month. You would need to be able to pay the rent while waiting for the payment to come through. It gets back dated however.

Congrats with the baby and I hope everything goes really well for you.

Yawns

ok here's the thread: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=84330010

Here is the post on the thread regarding why he needed the letter which is a letter of unsustainability. http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=84336464&postcount=6


I had never heard of this before but I don't have a mortgage so not had the stress of dealing with these types of situations.

WeeCuppaCha

Hi Yawns,

Thanks a million for spending time rooting that out for me. My situation is very different to that guy's as I'm not living in the property and the mortgage has always been paid in full and on time (even though the rent I receive for it doesn't cover it) so doubt I'd receive any sort of letter from my bank. Stupid me, eh? Maybe I should've just handed back the keys instead of scraping around for the shortfall each month in order to keep house and the mortgage provider paid.

The issue now will be whether a house that I own, which is in negative equity and in another county is considered 'suitable' housing by the Local Authority. We moved to this county, my home county, more than 3 years ago. I'd imagine they still would expect us to relocate back to the other county and take up residence in my rented property. At a time in my life when I want to be home and close to family when the baby comes. I doubt sentimentality will come into it though and the black and white will be that I own a house and am therefore, not entitled to Local Authority housing and in turn Rent Allowance.

Oh, if only my husband could find a job... This is really killing him. I know I'm preaching to the converted here about how soul destroying it is to be cap in hand dependent on the 'mercy' of CWOs and the like when all you want is to work and pay your bills and not have to worry about being turfed out at any time.

Anyway, I'll leave it there. Yawns, thanks again and also for your good wishes for our impending arrival.

Yawns

Best of luck anyway. Give it a go. Won't know what they will say until they say it. Is your husband the one making the claim? If so the situation might be a bit better. I know they will want your details anyway but sure give it a go.

snubbleste

You will not be eligible for local authority housing as you already have a property. You do not have a housing need. That's the whole point.

As others have said, you need to be assessed as having a housing need by the Council in order to get rent supplement.

WeeCuppaCha

Hi snubbleste,

I understand 'the whole point'. My point, however irrelevant it may be to those wielding the power, is that the house I own is based 200 miles from the place I now live. In order to live in that house I would need to evict my tenant, move back with a new baby in tow and live in a house that I cannot afford to live in. The mortgage repayments are more than I currently pay in rent. We are both unemployed as of this week. What does one do in this situation? Stop paying the mortage, which is exactly the thing I've tried to avoid to date (more fool me), or look for assistance in the form of mortgage relief in the county my house is? Is this not just moving the problem, i.e. us, from area to another? I feel like a disgraced priest...

The reason we left this house/area in the first place is that we could not find employment. We went on to find employment in my home county and moved here nearly 3.5 years ago. We have since lost our jobs and here we are back at square one. I appreciate that on paper it may seem that we don't have a 'need' for housing, but I don't understand this logic if the house I own isn't in the place I now live. Am I really expected to move to another county? Actually, don't bother answering that, as I know I obviously am.

The rules are the rules I guess and I just have to suck it up no matter how unfair I find them. This is real life for me right now unfortunately and I don't see a way out. I never thought I'd be in this situation and it's keeping me up at night. Again, not anyone here's problem I'm just venting.

Thanks for taking the time to reply though.

Balagan

It is a stressful time for you and you are doing the right thing in seeking to gather as much information as possible on the options open to you. MABS http://www.mabs.ie/ can be extremely helpful in helping you to sort out your options and commence necessary changes. Sometimes we think we know the best ways to handle things but being in the midst of the problem makes it hard to think clearly. There most certainly are 'ways out' and you will just need to take them step by step. In years to come, it will be a tale to tell your growing child! Also the Citizens Information offices are very helpful. Best of luck.

WeeCuppaCha

Hi Balagan,

You're so right. I'm getting so bogged down in all of this right now I can't see the woods for the trees. I really need to take a step back as worrying and stressing isn't going to change things and certainly isn't doing me any good right now. And we haven't starved yet. I'll be breastfeeding for the foreseeable to ensure babs doesn't go that way too... I jest. Sorta.

I'm going to see the CWO and take it from there and I'll keep MABS etc in mind if/when I need them or if I find myself in an appeal situation, which I'm thinking will be likely.

Of course I'd much prefer to be telling my growing child the story about how Mammy and Daddy won the lotto in the years to come, but a happy ending to this nightmare would be just as good!

Thanks for your well wishes.