Social housing tenants now allowed to take in Ukranian refugees

JimmyVik · 10-05-2022 8:40am #1

I just heard this on the radio. Is it true?

5 minutes later i got a whatsapp from my cousin asking me how she can sign up to this. Apparently there is €400 per month plus food and electricity allowance in it for her.

I cant find any detail on it though.

Will the RTB be involved?

What happens with the RTB if the new tenant wont move out?

All sorts of ramifications here.

Dempo1 · 10-05-2022 9:23am

What has the RTB got to do with social housing Tenants 🤔

The Announcement is the permit council / Local Authority tenants take in Refugee's without breaching the Tenancy agreement they have with their local Authority, currently they are Not permitted to accommodate anyone other than themselves, immediate family etc.

The €400 payment is being announced today, details are scetchy, wether its to compensate those Hosting a Refugee or those pledging a vacant property is not clear but you can be sure there'll be numerous T&C"s attached.

There's already a Thread dealing with Housing crisis, Ukranian refugees.

Gusser09 · 10-05-2022 9:26am

I think social housing tennants should be allowed to take in refugees. But considering their rent is likely to be a fraction of what mortgage holders / private renters pay they should be given a much reduced allowance from the government. Say 100 per month or something.

Atlantic Dawn · 10-05-2022 9:29am

This will mean some tenants taking in more from this than they actually pay in rent each month, what a time to be alive in this country, endless money.

L1011 · 10-05-2022 9:30am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119039750#Comment_119039750

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119039767#Comment_119039767

Any proposed state funding for hosts is not meant to be towards rent/mortgage, its meant to be towards increased food and energy costs.

If there is a separate payment for provision of space it won't be for those hosting in their house.

Atlantic Dawn · 10-05-2022 9:33am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119039771#Comment_119039771

Then why not give it as X amount credit off such bills?

Gusser09 · 10-05-2022 9:35am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119039783#Comment_119039783

Good idea. I'd love to see the amount of applicants for the cash payment versus the amount if it was a credit.

L1011 · 10-05-2022 9:39am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119039783#Comment_119039783

Credit off food bills would be basically impossible to do; ditto for any heating system that isn't gas or electric. Also as is becoming apparent even doing the electricity credit doesn't work in all flats.

Dempo1 · 10-05-2022 9:47am

I can see it would be difficult to assess food bills but certainly utility bills would be easier to monitor but all this said , if Refugees are in receipt of SW payments, Children's allowance and medical cards , surely the only real cost to anyone housing them would be an increase in Utilities 🤔

Wanderer78 · 10-05-2022 9:52am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119039767#Comment_119039767

...and more money becomes available to be spent into the economy, everyone's a winner! the economy needs more money, and fast, as we re quickly heading towards a downturn!

Sardonicat · 10-05-2022 10:00am

Oh my God! Someone's getting the free monies again and I'm not. Waah, waah, waah!

You could always sign up and house a traumatised war refugee who can't speak your language and profit from their pain yourself, OP. Unless you want to fully support them yourself? We could always leave them out in the street. Or better yet, just leave them to be bombed, or starved out in a shelter. That's a far better outcome to you feeling somehow done over because people are incentivised to put a roof over a head, isn't it?

Have a word with yourself.

JimmyVik · 10-05-2022 10:05am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119039874#Comment_119039874

I really dont think anyone understands where money to pay for things comes from in this country tbh.

But to answer your question. I think this is a good idea. It utilizes the social houses that are underoccupied and it solves part of the problem the government created for themselves. Will it solve in completely? No, but its a start.

toyotatommy · 10-05-2022 10:15am

Approx rent to council €80-€100 a month, with €400 plus expenses could be a nice little earner.

Wanderer78 · 10-05-2022 10:17am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119039897#Comment_119039897

completely agree, most dont understand how money is created, the fact its created through debt in both the public and private domains, banks via credit/debt creation, and when governments run a deficit.....

JimmyVik · 10-05-2022 10:19am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119039950#Comment_119039950

ahem.... You definiltey dont understand money. You are living in a funny old world where you think that fiscal theory is fiscal reality :)

L1011 · 10-05-2022 10:19am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119039950#Comment_119039950

Stop it. This is not the forum for this, and you've been told that countless times.

As always, do not reply to this post.

Gusser09 · 10-05-2022 10:23am

Social hoousing shouldn't be used to house refugees. Not when we don't have enough housing to house the people who pay for it.

JimmyVik · 10-05-2022 10:33am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119039975#Comment_119039975

But the social housing is not taking any extra housing. It will be already under utilized houses. Like if Mary has an extra room in the house after one of the kids has grown up. Now what shouldnt be let happen is that a large profit can be made from keeping an under utilized social house. Like giving another social house to one of Marys kids and then letting Mary profit herself from that too. But thats another discussion.

gladvimpaker · 10-05-2022 10:41am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119039940#Comment_119039940

So would the house holder get 400 a month, and the new tenant get their welfare and entitlements ?

So if you took on a new tenant got 400 euro a month, that would cover a monthly payment for a top of the range electric car.

Although depends on how long they stay for too...

Gusser09 · 10-05-2022 10:41am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119040010#Comment_119040010

Fully agree. These spare rooms should also be used to alleviate the pressure at the moment. I don't think we should limit the scheme to Ukranian Refugees.

SEPT 23 1989 · 10-05-2022 10:50am

If a social tenant has the room to take in refugees they are in the wrong size house for their needs

Sleeper12 · 10-05-2022 11:10am

I have to laugh. People giving out that refugees are on a level playing field with Irish and competing for scarce rooms. Government announces a way to house some of the refugees so that they aren't competing with Irish people for rooms. People now winging that they don't want this. They don't want people in social housing to get less than €100 per week to house these poor unfortunates.

Paying €400 per month is a lot cheaper than paying for hotels. Rooms in Dublin in House share can be up to €1k per month. Refugees are entitled to rent supplement so it us the tax payer would be paying for this accommodation. Personally I love the idea that it will only cost €400 per month to house people. It's not per person either. Mother & children is still only €400 per month.

Lots of people who wouldn't offer their rooms for any price seem to be against this. It seems to be the people who won't offer help themselves are doing all the winging

Yellow_Fern · 10-05-2022 1:58pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119040084#Comment_119040084

Agreed but you cant realistically deal with that. It would take years and years to solve.

toyotatommy · 10-05-2022 2:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119040044#Comment_119040044

Tax exempt income. You can buy what you like with it.

gladvimpaker · 10-05-2022 2:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119041242#Comment_119041242

Not bad if you have a spare room ensuite and you're taking in an intelligent creative earthy sober quite type of person. 400 euro a month I'd buy that for a dollar :)

Gatling · 10-05-2022 2:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119039750#Comment_119039750

Some aren't even paying that per month ,if anything their rent should increase

victor8600 · 10-05-2022 2:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119040084#Comment_119040084

Yeah, well. Possible scenario: a family with kids renting from the council. Kids grow up and leave. Two or even one parent are in the house. Moving them into a smaller house is stressful and, very importantly, expensive -- you cannot just give the old house to someone, it needs to be refurbished and possibly even retrofitted with with energy saving insulation or a heat pump. That's €50-100K. New smaller house needs to be build and furnished, that's another expense.

Better keep the old dears where they are and allow them to share their rooms if that's possible.

L1011 · 10-05-2022 3:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119041364#Comment_119041364

There's actually an increasing demand from people looking to downsize in both ownership and council rental situations - this over the weekend for instance.

Iveagh Trust built units specifically for those downsizing from 3 bed units. The renovation/upgrade works will have to be done eventually and may as well get more active use (and probably a higher differential rent) from the stock.

thegetawaycar · 10-05-2022 3:18pm

Hopefully this is a move towards housing more social tenants in under occupied houses. Not sure about the payment part as the Social Housing tenant doesn't own the property but I do think getting more people into social houses with spare rooms is a good thing.

Subzero3 · 10-05-2022 3:24pm

Tax man pays for decco's house, now he has to pay Decco 400 quid for letting Natalya sleep in his house. Great country all the same.

Dollar Thief · 10-05-2022 3:31pm

Why can’t the Ukrainians pay for their own food and drink from their already generous full dole they receive?

Apparently there is €400 per month plus food and electricity allowance in it for her.

Pussyhands · 10-05-2022 3:32pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119039771#Comment_119039771

Realistically it's not going to happen though.

Most bills are fixed no matter how many are in the house. 2 people sitting in a room use the same heat as 1. Same with electricity.

The actual increase in electricity bills etc will be negligible.

And food? Why would food be included? The Ukrainians are getting dole. If dole isn't enough to cover food, then how does anyone survive on dole? If the Ukrainians food is being paid for by the host, they are going to give money to the host for that.

The figures just don't add up. I house share. Even if I paid all bills by myself that's being used by 4, it doesn't even hit 400 euro a month. That's gas, internet and electricity. Even with the current high prices it doesn't hit that. 120 euro a month for oil. 150 a month for electricity and 60 a month for internet. 330 a month for all bills. 70 euro a week would be loads for food. So 400 euro would cover me for all my food AND all the bills for me and 3 others in a house.

And now people are saying an extra person living in the house needs 400 euro a month to cover the increase in costs? Does not make sense at all.

Strumms · 10-05-2022 3:37pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119040084#Comment_119040084

Absolutely…. 100%. Are there people in this scenarios say a guy or girl on their own in a two bedroom house or apartment .. weird…

JimmyVik · 10-05-2022 4:42pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119041602#Comment_119041602

Wouldnt surprise me if it is used to gather data on under occupied social property for action at a later date should the political climate change.

DFB-D · 10-05-2022 5:05pm

To be fair, I agree 400 a month is much less than the cost of any other provision of accommodation.

It possibly should be extended to the Irish HAP market, but I think we would have massive amounts of sons, daughters, and whatever trying to claim they rent next door, etc.

Spanish Eyes · 10-05-2022 5:24pm

Whether allowed or not (I'm not sure), social tenants with rooms to spare could take in lodgers. Who would know? Maybe HAP or something would find out. I don't know what the position might be regarding SW/DSP payments though.

Letting out a room or two in places like Dublin would be far more lucrative surely? I'm sure someone will be along soon to tell me otherwise! The point made above is a good one.... if they can take in refugees, the property is too big for their needs.

vectra · 10-05-2022 5:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119039940#Comment_119039940

Where did you pull those figures from?

There are people in council houses paying that much a week.

toyotatommy · 10-05-2022 5:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119042202#Comment_119042202

We are metropolitan it’s social houses now. Those figures are fact.

Sleepy · 16-05-2022 4:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119041927#Comment_119041927

The councils already have the data. I've personally developed under-occupancy reports for a couple of Irish councils in my professional life.

What's missing is the legislation to enable councils to utilise their social housing stock efficiently. Tenants in under-occupied properties can be offered incentives to move to more appropriate accommodation but they're under no obligation to do so and most have no interest in leaving the four bed semi they raised their family in even when offered brand new, fully fitted out apartments that would save them a fortune in electric and heating bills.

16-05-2022 5:07pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119041927#Comment_119041927

Now that would be a GDPR breach.

You can only keep data in relation to the reason collected, they can not transfer that data for another reason.

I would love to know where all these 1 and 2 bed social houses, suitable for 50+ people are going to come from.

The reason people have extra rooms is because kids have moved out but it is not like there is a stock of vacant smaller houses just sitting there for people to move to...

Social housing tenants now allowed to take in Ukranian refugees

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