IT’S WORTH PURSUING A CASE AGAINST AN AIRLINE

QMy flight to Spain last year was delayed by several hours, which caused me to miss a connecting flight. The airline in question has refused to pay compensation. Am I too late to pursue this case?

ANot at all. In fact, there’s a tremendous body of EU legislation in favour of air passengers. For the past ten years we have been entitled to claim up to €600 from an airline where flights to or from an EU airport are cancelled, substantially delayed, or we are refused boarding. That’s thanks to EU regulation #261/2004.

Then two benchmark rulings by the UK Supreme Court in 2014 and 2015 really opened the floodgates by providing for compensation to passengers for a delay caused by technical problems.

If you wish to make a claim you can pursue it yourself, or with help from agencies such as the European Consumer Centre Ireland (if the airline is based overseas).

There are also many firms that offer to help passengers claim refunds, but they will charge a fee.

Beware of those that want an upfront fee as you can still be liable to pay even if unsuccessful with your claim.

Even those that only charge when successful will still charge you a sizeable chunk of your compensation.

Irish firm MyRefund.ie, for example, charges 25% of the settlement sum as its fee. Whether you think that’s fair or you’re better off pursuing it on your own is up to you. The reality is even that despite strong EU laws to protect passengers most airlines are reluctant to pay out unless lawyers are involved.

In 2013, the figure that Irish people missed out on claiming for delayed and cancelled flights was €52m, MyRefund.ie says.

However, hopefully that situation will improve along with awareness of our rights in this area.

MyRefund.ie says it has a panel of Europe-based solicitors who are experts at flight compensation and have claimed over €1.4m to date from the airlines on behalf of more than 4,000 passengers. On average, a claim takes 90 days from processing to payment.

QA neighbour who became homeless asked me if he could live in a small dwelling on my property. I have not put pressure on him to pay rent. But he pays for the house tax and house repairs. Can I check if he is in fact paying the house tax, and should I actually be paying this tax rather than him?

AUnless he has a long-term lease or a ‘life interest’ in the property, you are the liable person for Local Property Tax and should be registered as such. If you are not linked to the property on the LPT Register, you should contact Revenue LPT Branch either by email at lpt@revenue.ie; or by post: LPT Branch, P.O. Box 1, Limerick), to rectify the situation and to clarify the exact LPT status of the occupant.

You can still agree with the occupant that he pays the LPT on your behalf, but this would be considered as a payment to you by Revenue and be taxable as either rental income or a gift.

QMy father is elderly and has €15,000 in savings. Which lending institution offers the best rates? He would like easy access to this money.

AI’m afraid the best bank rate ‘on demand’ is KBC’s 0.6%. But tell him to try his local credit union. The average credit union dividend, which equates to interest rates, is 0.6% but rates range up to 2%, so you may get a little more depending on what his local, or occupational, union charges.

The best credit union rates are from occupational unions who are based around certain companies such as Aer Lingus, or sectors of the public service. The best payer on record, for example, is Cana credit union which represents Revenue Commissioners’ staff and pays out the aforementioned 2% dividends.

QI have been asked to act as executor in a relative’s will. Will that make me in any way liable for Residential Property Tax?

AI’m afraid so. The Revenue Commissioners’ list of liable persons includes: ‘Personal representatives of a deceased owner (e.g. executor/administrator of a deceased’s estate.’