# Over half (57 per cent) of all Dublin Local Authority tenancies are in arrears.



## cremeegg (27 Oct 2018)

VBiz74 said:


> But so long add they get their rent on time they don't actually care.



I don't think they care about that either.

Many councils have arrears in excess of 30%. Some over 50%. You can search for their accounts online and see the actual numbers.


----------



## Deiseblue (28 Oct 2018)

cremeegg said:


> I don't think they care about that either.
> 
> Many councils have arrears in excess of 30%. Some over 50%. You can search for their accounts online and see the actual numbers.


 
I thought that local authority rent arrears ran from a low of 4% in Laois to a high of 29% in Louth .?


----------



## cremeegg (28 Oct 2018)

A quarter of Local Authority tenancies (11,870 or 26 per cent) across Dublin are in rent arrears to the value of more than 12 weeks rent. Forty-three per cent of tenancies (19,576) are not in arrears. Over half (57 per cent) of all tenancies are in arrears.


see here
[broken link removed]


----------



## cremeegg (28 Oct 2018)

[broken link removed]


----------



## The Horseman (28 Oct 2018)

cremeegg said:


> [broken link removed]


This is shocking.


----------



## Tebbit (28 Oct 2018)

Rent should be taken at source - this shouldn't happen   Poorly managed


----------



## Sophrosyne (28 Oct 2018)

Taken from the above report:

"The Local Government Efficiency Review Group (July, 2010) recommended that social housing rents should be deducted directly from social welfare payments "to reduce overheads associated with revenue collection in this area and to substantially reduce arrears, as well as to streamline processes for local authority tenants and avoid accumulation of arrears"6. The Group also recommended that this should be a condition of new tenancies. Section 53 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 provides for the deduction of local authority rents and rent arrears from social welfare payments. However, this section of the Act has not been applied. "

This seems eminently sensible. I wonder why it has not been applied.


----------



## Brendan Burgess (28 Oct 2018)

Deiseblue said:


> local authority rent arrears ran from a low of 4% in Laois to a high of 29% in Louth .?



Might that be Local Authority mortgages? 

Brendan


----------



## Deiseblue (28 Oct 2018)

cremeegg said:


> A quarter of Local Authority tenancies (11,870 or 26 per cent) across Dublin are in rent arrears to the value of more than 12 weeks rent. Forty-three per cent of tenancies (19,576) are not in arrears. Over half (57 per cent) of all tenancies are in arrears.
> 
> 
> see here
> [broken link removed]



Encouragingly the same link you reported shows that “ the collection rate of Local Authority housing rental income is circa 85 per cent across the country “ - pretty impressive figure !
The link would also suggest that a figure of €175.2 was due by Dublin Local Authorities in 2016 ( collected €138.6 million plus arrears of €36.6 million )
It would appear that the aforementioned arrears make up up 20.89 % of the total amount due.


----------



## Deiseblue (28 Oct 2018)

And yet from the link above it would appear that for the year 2016 out of  a total of €175.2 million due in rent to Dublin Local Authorities a total of €138.6 million was collected or 79.11 % - the total rent collected by all 31 Local Authorities was circa 85% of the total rent due


----------



## cremeegg (28 Oct 2018)

Deiseblue said:


> Encouragingly the same link you reported shows that “ the collection rate of Local Authority housing rental income is circa 85 per cent across the country “ -* pretty impressive figure* !



That is a really quiet staggering perspective, in my opinion.


----------



## Deiseblue (28 Oct 2018)

Not me , given that many such tenants are in receipt of extremely low incomes with many demands on such income then such a level of arrears is understandable.
Still it’s good to know that the vast majority of local authority tenants pay their rent.


----------



## Leper (29 Oct 2018)

OK! We now know the problems. What are the solutions?


----------



## cremeegg (29 Oct 2018)

Deiseblue said:


> many such tenants are in receipt of extremely low incomes with many demands on such income then such a level of arrears is understandable.



Local authority rents are set to reflect the tenants incomes, so that is hardly a reasonable comment.


----------



## cremeegg (29 Oct 2018)

Leper said:


> OK! We now know the problems. What are the solutions?



Well there is this.



Sophrosyne said:


> "The Local Government Efficiency Review Group (July, 2010) recommended that social housing rents should be deducted directly from social welfare payments



Until the problems are more generally recognised by policymakers, adequate solutions can not be developed.

The problems in my opinion are:


Local Authorities are not competent to manage the housing stock that they currently own.
The lack of consequences for tenants who do not pay their rent, has lead over time to non payment or late payment becoming the norm.


----------



## Deiseblue (29 Oct 2018)

cremeegg said:


> Local authority rents are set to reflect the tenants incomes, so that is hardly a reasonable comment.



Except life does not stand still and circumstances change.
It is encouraging however that the vast majority of tenants pay their rent.


----------



## orka (29 Oct 2018)

Deiseblue said:


> It is encouraging however that the vast majority of tenants pay their rent.


I don't understand why you think it is encouraging.  That thinking seems to imply you expect them NOT to pay and then you are 'encouraged' when they do?  Surely the default is to assume that people will pay their bills?


----------



## cremeegg (29 Oct 2018)

Deiseblue said:


> Except life does not stand still and circumstances change.



Yes and local authority tenants, unlike tenants in the private sector, have their rents adjusted when their incomes fall. 

Yet we see that more than half the local authority tenants in Dublin are behind with their rent.


----------



## Deiseblue (29 Oct 2018)

The arrears collection of Dublin’s local authorities must be doing their job as the most up to date figures for the year 2016 show rent arrears running at 20.89 percent.
As I say in some instances local authority tenant’s income is so low that they simply cannot afford adjusted rent given the other demands on such income so yes I think the 85% rate is encouraging and reflects the upturn in the economy.


----------



## Sophrosyne (30 Oct 2018)

Deiseblue said:


> I think the 85% rate is encouraging and reflects the upturn in the economy.



According to the report:

"while the rate of collection throughout the country has been stable over recent years (circa 85pc), the absolute amount of arrears has increased year-on-year since 2009. There has been an increase in arrears of €21.7m or 42 per cent between 2009 (arrears of €51.2m) and 2016 (arrears of €72.9m).”



Deiseblue said:


> As I say in some instances local authority tenant’s income is so low that they simply cannot afford adjusted rent given the other demands on such income



"The highest proportion of current arrears in Dublin City Council was incurred in 2009 following retrospective assessments of income/occupants which brought previously undeclared income to attention."


----------

