# Rent allowance - accept unapproved tenant or not



## badabing (15 Nov 2008)

I've found a suitable tanant for my rental property who fits the bill in most ways apart from the fact that she has not been approved for rent allowance yet. I've filled out the forms for her and shes going into the office on monday. 

I see no reason why she would be turned down, but it may be a bit risky. I have a pick of other SW and non SW tenants, which may sound like a good position, but my preference is for her as I'm satisied that she and her family are of good character and want to stay on for a long period, which is what I want

She may be able to pay up the first months rent and deposit but should I offer her a contract if shes not approved yet? Also how long does it take to get approved normally, bearing in mind that the SW office are probably busier now and its coming up to xmas
Thanks


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## cleverclogs7 (15 Nov 2008)

she will have to sign the contract first and show s.w that she has a place to stay.(she will have to bring it with her)on her orange form  tick no   for has the tenant giving a deposit and rent up front.as she may be helped with deposit.as soon as she has the contract in her hand and forms such as orange form and application form then she brings it to her c.w.o .it takes a few days to be aproved.

if its not aproved then she cant rent your property.
most of the time rent is usually higher than the rent allowance is aloud so the landlord with give a copy of the rent amount.ex: dublin...allowance 2 kids 1,200


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## anna_k (23 Nov 2008)

Cleverclogs,
could you clarify what you mean by " if it's not approved, she can't rent your property"?

I have a case where we signed the contract first. Then within couple of weeks the tenants contacted us and said they are applying to social welfare for rent. We signed the form and now it's almost three months - no rent. The tenants keep saying they are expecting the cheque next week/next day/etc. So, I don;t think they even got approval. The social welfare say they can't discuss anything with us and even confirm whether the case has been approved or not.


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## gipimann (24 Nov 2008)

cleverclogs7 said:


> on her orange form tick no for has the tenant giving a deposit and rent up front.as she may be helped with deposit.
> 
> most of the time rent is usually higher than the rent allowance is aloud so the landlord with give a copy of the rent amount.ex: dublin...allowance 2 kids 1,200


 
Suggesting that a landlord falsifies information on an application form, by declaring that a deposit hasn't been paid if it has or underdeclaring the rent may be construed as Social Welfare fraud.

The statement "if its not aproved then she cant rent your property" is incorrect.   If the Rent Supplement is not approved, then all it means is that the tenant must pay for the rent from their own resources.  It doesn't mean they can't stay where they are if they have the means to pay the rent themselves.

anna, despite any delays which may occur at the moment, it's highly unlikely that a person would be waiting on rent supplement for over 3 months.   Sounds like the tenants weren't approved for rent supplement.   Ask your tenants for the review form from the CWO (most rental tenancies are reviewed quarterly, the tenant is asked to complete an update form & have it signed by the landlord) and tell them you want the rent supplement paid directly to you (not all areas will facilitate this, but might be interesting to see what response you get from your tenants).


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