Income threshold too high

tinkerbell19 · 18-02-2022 4:50pm #1

I live in a council house with my 5 children. I work full time and my rent reflects this. I have a partner and I'm looking to add him onto my tenancy but he has been declined due to him being over the threshold. I rang to ask how they worked as with our combined incomes we seem to bee earning too much to be eligible for social housing but not enough to get a mortgage and definitely cannot afford to private rent. Because I want to live with my partner if we are over threshold can they evict me? Or how does this work. We want to do everything legitimate and when I rang to ask how this can be sorted I was told to come in for a meeting to discuss. But I'm sick with anxiety that I will have to choose between being housed and being allowed to live with my partner. Has anyone experienced anything like this? Can they put me out of the house for having too much income? Our income threshold in our county is 28,500 for 2 adults and 4 children for context.

Cal4567 · 18-02-2022 4:54pm

Rest assured. You have nothing at all to worry about. There are plenty of cases where social housing tenants over time go over the income thresholds.

Mrs OBumble · 18-02-2022 5:31pm

You can add him to the household (provided it would not be overcrowded with seven people in it).

But you cannot add him to the tenancy, unless he personally qualifies for social housing.

This is best for you: if you break up with him later on, you can stay in the house. But if he was on the tenancy, he would have a right to stay there too.

But your rent will go up when he moves in: make sure he pays the increase.

tinkerbell19 · 18-02-2022 6:42pm

Thanks for the replies. I was told he had to full out the forms to be assessed for housing needs which he did and he got a letter yesterday to say he is over the income threshold so was declined. When I rang I asked does that mean he cannot live in my house with me and she said correct so I asked how that would work does that mean as long as I live in a council house I can't have my partner live with me and she put me on hold and then came back a few minutes later to say to come in for a meeting on Tuesday. I'm trying to look online and see can they refuse to let a partner move in and there's nothing online to say yes or no. I don't mind if he can't go on tenancy but Roscommon seems to say he isn't seen as being eligible for social housing due to income. And they told me he has to be eligible in order to move in?

Mrs OBumble · 18-02-2022 8:05pm

They may be worried about whether you are subject to coercive control or domestic violence.

They may also be concerned about overcrowding: seven is a lot of people to have in one house. How old are your children?

JCN12 · 19-02-2022 10:51am

In the main, if your combined income is high enough, why don't you buy elsewhere and free up the council house for a family who is less financially well off?

The_Conductor · 19-02-2022 12:47pm

They have rules regarding the number of people who can live in different sized properties, one feature of which is determined by the ages of the children. If you go over the threshold- regardless of whether or not you have a room yourself, he cannot live there.

[Deleted User] · 19-02-2022 1:14pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118657556#Comment_118657556

See post 1.

".. not enough to get a mortgage and definitely cannot afford to private rent..."

[Deleted User] · 19-02-2022 1:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118654583#Comment_118654583

Mrs OBumble is correct here.

tinkerbell19 · 19-02-2022 11:07pm

Thanks for the replies. My mistake I ment 4 children not 5. I'm in a 3bed with 10yr old, 5yr old, 3 yr old and under 1yr old. I've applied for the transfer list already. 3 boys and 1 girl.

As per my original post we don't earn enough to get mortgage approved as we have already tried and private renting is absolutely not affordable. If we could buy we would.

fliball123 · 21-02-2022 11:29am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118661024#Comment_118661024

Why did you have 4 kids before being able to afford a place for yourself ye know a bit of family planning, I can understand a one off mistake and having a kid but 4? also where are the 4 kids dads, why are they not giving money to support their kids?

MIRMIR82 · 21-02-2022 12:20pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118666808#Comment_118666808

What a horrible reply, you know nothing about the OP's situation. Her last partner may have died for example. Maybe she had 4 kids when she could afford them and has fell on hard times....if you have nothing to add to the thread, p!ss off!

fliball123 · 21-02-2022 12:26pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118667033#Comment_118667033

What a horrible reply REALLY, hang on there now a second, this lady has had 4 kids, didn't plan has had the state step in for a period of time acting as her baby daddy. I don't know how long she has been supported and now she is complaining that the income threshold is too high as she cant have her new beau come live with her and keep the state paying for her? What is wrong with asking people to take a bit more personal responsibility , like planning, like daddy paying more for their kids. I have every right to ask the question (she may have fallen on hard times but now she wants her boyfriend in there and to be paid for by the state) as its from the tax payers pockets that **** kind of crap is being paid for. Why dont they go legit and live somewhere they can afford. We all have bills to pay there is currently a housing crisis going on in this country and if the likes of this wasn't going on I wouldn't be getting it in the neck in taxation.

L1011 · 21-02-2022 12:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118666808#Comment_118666808

This is not an appropriate line of questioning for here.

Everyone is to drop this immediately.

tinkerbell19 · 21-02-2022 7:46pm

Thanks for the replies. I can afford my children no problem. My thread was just for information on the process of having my partner added to the house. I don't get the house for free nor am I on social welfare. And as both myself and my partner are also tax payers I don't see the reason why I cannot avail of social housing when I'm entitled to it like everyone else in the country who is on low income. I've blocked the other poster who is completely ignorant and has no clue how social housing works and is clearly just trolling posts like mine trying to make people like me who are in social housing feel like we are dirt. Thanks again I appreciate the replies. But I won't be interacting with the post again.

RedXIV · 22-02-2022 12:02am

Depends on the type of housing agreement in a lot of ways but there is almost definitely a way for this to work, most likely as Mrs. OBumble says.

I'm in a scenario where we are preparing to move out of social housing after a number of years to buy our own place and my wife put me on her council housing tenancy when we started out together with next to nothing but we've both been lucky enough to improve our lot in life and we'd be in pretty good shape financially now with a significant household income and there is still nothing from the council about hitting an income limit. Just the proportion of rent paid to the council has increased as our salaries increased.

I've generally found that the person you're talking to is what determines the outcome, if you get someone sensible, they'll realise you want to move a partner in at some point in "your" house so they need to have a system for that. If they are unreasonable, book another appointment and hope to get someone else.

Best of luck!

covidcustomer · 22-02-2022 9:36am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118654919#Comment_118654919

Do you have your Tenant Handbook? I looked online at the Roscommon one here and I can't see anything about your query, ask them where the rules relating to this issue are. Best of luck.

https://www.roscommoncoco.ie/en/Services/Housing/Social-Housing/Tenants-Hand-Book/