Free houses or not Free houses ... "tenants" to be sued

MakersMark · 13-06-2022 8:11pm #1

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/news/council-to-take-legal-action-against-22-tenants-who-owe-more-than-20000-in-rent-arrears-41748533.html

I dont know what's more shocking, the amount of the arrears or the fact that the "rent" is less than €50 a week.

These beacons of light need to be put in emergency sheltersand their houses given to the actual working class.

13-06-2022 8:21pm

€50 a week... the rest of us work our asses off to fund this.

13-06-2022 8:28pm

I'm sure these tenants are paragons of virtue in other aspects of life: what fraction if any own a TV Licence?

How many times is the same Netflix password shared I wonder between them?

Grumpypants · 13-06-2022 8:32pm

Great little country. The rent is 10% of the incone. So that's €500 a week.

To have a take home pay of 500 a week you need to earn over 37 grand. Which is decent enough money.

Imagine someone earning 37 grand a year saying they can't afford €50 a week rent.

Furze99 · 13-06-2022 8:38pm

What works is when an example is made - evict them, have all the cameras there, fully expose these freeloaders to the public. Give it loads of air time and as much publicity as possible.

13-06-2022 8:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119198289#Comment_119198289

Knowing this country it would be a scandal to kick them out.

Jinglejangle69 · 13-06-2022 8:55pm

Sure DCC is owed 50 million in arrears from these type of wasters.

Ah sure there is no free houses blah blah.

No one is scamming the system blah blah.

The usual army will be along soon to make excuses for these poor unfortunate souls.

JuanGreen · 13-06-2022 8:58pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119198255#Comment_119198255

I guess we don't have to imagine it... This is the world we live in.

rob316 · 13-06-2022 9:01pm

I lived in a council house for years I can't fathom how you could run into arrears. The rent is calculated so there is absolutely no hardship on you, your looking at about 15% of income. It should be deducted at source anyway to avoid this crap (by revenue or social welfare).

saabsaab · 13-06-2022 9:08pm

There should be no way it could get that far.

rob316 · 13-06-2022 9:10pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119198437#Comment_119198437

It shouldn't but it's way too lax the system. These are people flat out refusing to pay rent, 20k in arrears is a **** joke. Deduct it at source is the best solution, I can't understand why it's not done already.

zell12 · 13-06-2022 9:11pm

Only 10% of income is rent? I thought it was closer to 20%. SDCC must be one of the cheapest accommodation providers in the State

Gant21 · 13-06-2022 9:13pm

The dole and council houses money tree badly needs pruning.

Galwayhurl · 13-06-2022 9:23pm

It's absolutely galling.

What's the point in working? Paying 1500 a month in rent for a 1 bed here and could be evicted due to landlord selling up at any stage.

This country really is no country for working men and women.

Geuze · 13-06-2022 10:08pm

The main reason for arrears is extra income in the household not being declared, or being declared years later, and then the differential rent is adjusted upwards.

DubCount · 13-06-2022 10:33pm

So, after the tax payer pays a load of money to chase this through the courts, they get a fiver a week court order.

If the tenant still doesn't pay, they get evicted and become homeless - then the tax payer pays for their homeless accommodation.

What a great deal for the taxpayer - heads they lose, tails they dont win.

rob316 · 13-06-2022 10:48pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119198748#Comment_119198748

Na the main reason is they just don't want to pay it. The council's are unbelievably reasonable if you get into arrears, they'll put you into generous repayment plans provided you engage and stick to them.

13-06-2022 11:11pm

For information on how rent is calculated in SDCC.

South Dublin County Council Differential Rent Scheme 2021 (opens as PDF).

I do think Differential Rent Schemes across local authorities need to be standardised.

13-06-2022 11:14pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119199003#Comment_119199003

I think getting people to pay what they owe should be the first priority.

Gusser09 · 13-06-2022 11:22pm

Amazing that it cant be deducted from welfare payments. Madness. Zero point taling it to court. Just start deducting it source including arrears.

13-06-2022 11:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119199013#Comment_119199013

I don't disagree, and they should have a robust method of collecting arrears.

Gant21 · 13-06-2022 11:35pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119199087#Comment_119199087

Louise o Reilly sein Féin conas Attu?

13-06-2022 11:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119199039#Comment_119199039

Social Welfare recipients can sign up voluntarily to have their rent paid automatically, (The Household Budget Scheme) but the issue is those who don't pay.

There's a whole quagmire of legal complications around debt - and I don't have the links to hand but in a nutshell, social welfare is considered a substistance level of income, and if the State were to take involuntary deductions from social welfare payments, it could put someone below the level of income they need to sustain themselves - so they won't do that without a court order.

Getting a court order is another story.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Mrs OBumble · 13-06-2022 11:59pm

As for evictions for non-payment, all it takes is for one eviction order to be followed by a (non-paying) tenant suicide, and no judge has the balls to evict again for years.

road_high · 14-06-2022 12:06am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119199161#Comment_119199161

Emotional blackmail should never be allowed as a cover for law breaking and theft.

Del2005 · 14-06-2022 9:10am

This is the reason why all our councils got out of social housing. They can't evict and the debt hangs over them for ever, much easier to fob tenants to private landlords and let them take the blame for the state of the market.

handlemaster · 14-06-2022 6:42pm

What chance do landlords have when this can go on with a public body with all the resources at its disposal.

The annoying thing is the little rent that is to paid month on month most likely is also tax payer money

PalLimerick · 17-06-2022 4:34am

A lot of bitter Brendans and bitter brendas in here. I repeat again, there is no such thing as free houses. Again, there is no such thing as free houses, no matter how much certain People spout it.

Mr Hindley · 17-06-2022 8:38am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119213821#Comment_119213821

But if someone has a house and they're not even paying the 50 euro a week for it i.e. they're paying zero, then it's a free house, right? I mean, it shouldn't be, by the rules, but if they're getting away with breaking the rules, then they're getting the house for free.

handlemaster · 18-06-2022 3:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119213821#Comment_119213821

Explain

jrosen · 19-06-2022 6:30pm

It should be deducted at source, perhaps not at first but if there is rent not being paid rather than wait and allow the debt to rise the local authority should be more proactive in tackling the non payment.

I work with a girl on lone parents living in an apt, I think HAP. Anyway she pays 100 per week towards her rent out of her lone parents payment and its deducted at source.

handlemaster · 20-06-2022 8:09pm

Double post

Cuddlesworth · 21-06-2022 10:43am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119198289#Comment_119198289

If you're the council and you evict them, you have to house them again.

For the same reasons social welfare tenants are not wanted by private landlords, when they are in arrears you will never get it back via the courts. Most court judgements I have seen were 5 Euros a week restitution, which was not paid.

I'm going to make a assumption and say the tenants being sued are working and clearly have the means to pay but choose not to. South Dublin has no "cap" on payments, unlike others, and I have seen some higher earning tenants getting salty about this.

Free houses or not Free houses ... "tenants" to be sued

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