€12,000 fine as landlord refused rent allowance

A PROPERTY firm has been ordered to pay €12,000 to a family who lost their home after their landlord refused to accept rent allowance payments.

The tenant brought HAP forms from the local authority to the property company, which was acting on behalf of the landlord on March 29 last year.

But the next day, the tenant was given notice to quit the property, according to the discrimination case under the Equal Status Act.

Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) Adjudication Officer Pat Brady said that the eviction notice served on the family was a direct consequence of their application for the landlord to be part of the HAP scheme.

Mr Brady said that the lack of any appreciation by the property firm of its legal responsibilities in the matter, and the attempts to evade them “were quite astonishing”.

“The law is quite clear and agents must consider their liability for breaches of the law before seeking to plead that they are simply carrying out the landlord’s instructions.

“This will not be sufficient to evade their responsibility under the legislation.

“This is a very serious case,” he said.

“The applicant was denied the possibility of holding on to his home because the landlord refused to sign the HAP application form.

“The explanation at the hearing that this was a short term let is not credible,” he added.