# Single woman working, am I entitled to rent allowance



## Syn (9 Jul 2010)

Hello

I would be so grateful if anybody could give me some information.  
Im a complete novice when it comes to this I have never claimed from the social welfare. 

I am single, no children, work 32 hrs a week in retail so not on a high income, I have been living in my mams council house 30 yrs. I *have* to move out and rent. I would ideally like to rent alone. Am i entitled to rent allowance. Do I have to be living in rented accom. first. 
Am I means tested or does it go on my hours. I understand a lot of landlords dont accept rent allowance though. Ive looked online its a bit of a minefield as being single and working seems to be against me. 

Thanks in advance

Syn


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## gipimann (10 Jul 2010)

As you work 30 hrs or more per week, you are considered to be in full-time employment, and therefore do not qualify for Rent Supplement regardless of your income.

There are other qualifying criteria for Rent Supplement, have a look at the information on the Community Welfare Service website

[broken link removed]


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## Syn (10 Jul 2010)

Thanks for taking the time to reply, I will check it out.
Regards


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## Colombo (30 Jul 2010)

Hi, hope I can help in some way and offer you a different perspective.

If your hours in work were cut to under 20 (I'm sure it used to be anyway) then you would be able to go for rent subsidy, provided you were ALREADY living in a place and then just couldn't afford to back it anymore,
it would be less than if you just werent working at all though.

If the situation above applied you would be entitled to part social welfare payment (if your hours were cut below whatever 'allowed' hours of work), therefore making up the bulk of your 'lost' wage by 
part-working/part-signing.
Also, as far as I am aware, lets take myself, currently unemployed 
- if I find a part-time job I'm sure I am allowed to hold on to my rent subsidy, at the full rate, 
for a certain period, before it gets reduced due to my part-time working, under some kind of part-time job inititive scheme or other.
If I take up full-time study I am entitled to retain my rent subsidy for as long as I study.

Here is another scenario for you: If you really *have* to move out of home (you say you have to) 
then this is the best way to go about it (I know I've been there) 
- I too was working when I got my apartment and so I'd paid all the deposit and rent myself, for three years. Then lost my job.
Applied for rent subsidy then and it was granted to me.
I dont think they pay any deposits for people 
- you would have to come up with that yourself and be MOVED IN before they can assess your situation 
(and visit your property to check it out).

Take into consideration you need to satisfy certain criteria 
- you say you want to live alone - then you will have to have a ONE bedroom apartment - as they would be a bit suspicious of you (that you could be sub letting/sharing with another ect).
And the property HAS to be NO MORE than a 'certain' rent rate (different for every county) sorry I can't post links, else they wont give you rent allowance 
- you are supposed to be left with a 'certain' amount of money to live on after rent comes out of your pocket AFTER rent allowance.
You can still get it however if you DID share with others, 
just a lot less than a person living alone would get.

COULD you share, say with one other girl?
Working or unemployed it would be so much cheaper, 
half the rent anyway.



So if you really HAVE to (or just desperately WANT to) do the following:

Consider WHERE you live and where you want to live.
Rent varies from place to place - as does the rent allowance.
Research all the internet rental sites and the local agents and papers ect RELIGIOUSLY 
until you get an exact idea of what you would be paying, 
out of YOUR OWN WAGES FROM WORK and could you realistically afford it and for any lenght of time?
Go see places and consider if its what you really want.
Factor in your life style - do you smoke? Do you HAVE to go out every week with the girls? 
Buy clothes a lot ect? Have a car? Transport to work a bit of a cost?

After rent and say another €30 a week put aside for household bills (ALWAYS overestimate them) 
AND then your food (at least €50) - what would you be left with to 'live' on???

I'll do a quick calculation for you:

Rent of €600 a month = €150 a week.
Bills of €120 a month = € 30 a week
Food of €200 a month = € 50 a week
________________________________
€920 a month            = €230 a week

Could you manage this as you are, working? 
Make sure you'd have at least €100 left over.
If you smoke...I wont even go there....cos I do...

This is the reality of renting alone, out of your salary.
I put it to you this way because if moving out is what you want, this is what you're looking at, minimum. 
Rents have dropped yes but you wont get anything decent or safe for under €600. 
Rent allowance unfortunately has a bad reputation due to a 'particular' stereotype of people getting it. 
Cant blame landlords for not taking it, although an awful lot do now as they are 'legitimate' and tax-paying (unlike years ago).
In my place they accepted it from me as they KNEW me and that I'd been paying like a saint for three years.

If you know you cant afford to rent on your wages and alone then do you have friends who are looking to move from where they are? Even as I've said another girl can halve the rent with you.

A one bed apartment at €600 will cost you €150 a week alone.
A two bed apartment at €700 will cost you €87.50 a week SHARING with one other. 
Consider it...

Hope I've helped!

Best of luck to you.


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