Relief at last on the rental front
THE higher rent supplement for those on social welfare payments will come into effect tomorrow and will help with the “rising cost of rents” in the private sector in Cork.
That is according to Senator Jerry Buttimer (FG) who welcomed the government’s raising of the rent subsidy limit. From Friday, a single person in shared accommodation can receive €300 per month; a couple in shared accommodation €330; a single person living on their own will receive €550; and a couple will receive €650. For a couple or a one-parent family with one child will receive €900; and a couple or one parent family with two children will receive €925; and a couple or one parent family with three children will receive €950.
WITH a higher rent supplement for those on social welfare payments which will come into effect on Friday will help with the rising “cost of rents” in Cork.
That is according to Senator Jerry Buttimer (FG) who welcomed the Government’s rent limit under the Rent Supplement and Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) schemes.
It will now mean that a single person in shared accommodation will receive €300 per month; a couple in shared accommodation €330; a single person living on their own will receive €550; and a couple will receive €650.
For a couple or a one-parent family with one child will receive €900; and a couple or one parent family with two children will receive €925; and a couple or one parent family with three children will receive €950.
“Cork and every county or county sub district in the country has a maximum rent limit, within which the Rent supplement can be paid. The average increase in the allowance is approximately 20% and it is higher for those with children than those without,” he said.
The new limits now mean that people in Cork who are in receipt of social welfare and who cannot afford the full cost of private rented accommodation will receive greater assistance from the State from Friday.
It was his view that the HAP will provide “stability” for tenants and reduce the danger of families becoming homeless when their rent is increased.
According to June report from the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), the average rent for all dwellings in the private rented sector which was registered with them in the county of Cork was €836 – which was up €14 when compared to the average rent in the fourth quarter in 2015.
Since January 1, 2016, under the Equal Status Acts 2000-2015, a person who is in receipt of social welfare and who is seeking private rented accommodation and in receipt of a rent supplement or HAP – cannot be discriminated against. In short, it means landlords can no longer state when advertising their properties that they will refuse to rent a person accommodation because they are in receipt of social welfare or HAP.
All landlords are also legally obliged to register tenancies with the RTB and according to Rosaline Carroll, Director of the RTB, she said they now have a total of 324,000 tenancies registered, representing 172,000 landlords and 705,000 occupants.