# Rent Allowance Rates



## chippy (6 Dec 2009)

Hi all hope you can help.

I have tenants at the moment who pay me by rent allowance. They are looking for a further reduction in rent, as they say they are finding it hard to make the weekly payments I am suspicous of this as I think they can afford the rent but are chancing their arm by looking for another reduction. This request is in the middle of a contract that we have with them until May next year.

As a landlord have I the right to ask Social Welfare what allowance the tenants are receiving from them? or if not does anyone know what are the rates for rent allowance?


----------



## lopin10 (6 Dec 2009)

*Maximum rent levels for each county*

*From 1 June 2009, these are the maximum rent levels,* *(the HSE can set levels below these for specific areas within each county):*



*Single person in shared accommodation:*
*Counties covered**Maximum rent*Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow €92 per weekLongford, Westmeath, Laois and Offaly €66 per weekClare, Limerick and Tipperary North €66 per weekCavan, Monaghan, Louth and Meath €66 per weekDonegal, Leitrim and Sligo €66 per week Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and Tipperary South €76 per weekGalway, Mayo and Roscommon€66 per week Cork and Kerry €71 per week

*Couple in shared accommodation:*
*Counties covered**Maximum rent* Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow €92 per week Longford, Westmeath, Laois and Offaly €66 per week Clare, Limerick and Tipperary North €66 per week Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and Meath €66 per weekDonegal, Leitrim and Sligo €66 per week Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and Tipperary South €76 per weekGalway, Mayo and Roscommon€66 per week Cork and Kerry €71 per week

*Single person:*
*Counties covered**Maximum rent*Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow €122 per week (Dublin and Wicklow) €112 per week (Kildare)Longford, Westmeath, Laois and Offaly €94 per week Clare, Limerick and Tipperary North €94 per week (Clare and Tipperary North) €103 per week (Limerick)Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and Meath €85 per week (Monaghan and Cavan) €108 per week (Louth and Meath)Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo €85 per week (Donegal and Leitrim) €94 per week (Sligo)Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and Tipperary South €108 per week Galway, Mayo and Roscommon€108 per week Cork and Kerry €94 per week (Kerry) €108 per week (Cork)


*Couple with no children:*
*Counties covered**Maximum rent*Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow €186 per week (Dublin) €166 per week (Kildare) €177 per week (Wicklow)Longford, Westmeath, Laois and Offaly €112 per week Clare, Limerick and Tipperary North €122 per week Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and Meath €113 per week (Monaghan and Cavan) €131 per week (Meath) €122 per week (Louth)Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo €112 per week Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and Tipperary South €122 per weekGalway, Mayo and Roscommon€108 per week (Mayo and Roscommon) €131 per week (Galway)Cork and Kerry €143 per week

*Couple with 1 child or one-parent family with 1 child:*
*Counties covered*

*Maximum rent*Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow €930 per month (Dublin) €880 per month (Kildare and Wicklow) Longford, Westmeath, Laois and Offaly €131 per week Clare, Limerick and Tipperary North €140 per week Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and Meath €131 per week (Monaghan and Cavan) €163 per week (Meath) €149 per week (Louth)Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo €131 per week (Donegal and Leitrim) €140 per week (Sligo)Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and Tipperary South €140 per weekGalway, Mayo and Roscommon€163 per week Cork and Kerry €143 per week (Kerry) €163 per week (Cork)


*Couple with 2 children or one-parent family with 2 children:*
*Counties covered**Maximum rent*Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow €1,110 per month Longford, Westmeath, Laois and Offaly €144 per week (Longford) €149 (Laois, Offaly and Westmeath)Clare, Limerick and Tipperary North €158 per week Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and Meath €140 per week (Monaghan and Cavan) €177 per week (Meath) €158 per week (Louth)Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo €138 per week (Donegal and Leitrim) €158 per week (Sligo)Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and Tipperary South €158 per weekGalway, Mayo and Roscommon€180 per week (Mayo and Roscommon) €186 per week (Galway) Cork and Kerry €177 per week (Cork) and €171 per week (Kerry)

*Couple with 3 children or one-parent family with 3 children:*
*Counties covered**Maximum rent*Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow €1,110 per month Longford, Westmeath, Laois and Offaly €158 per week (Longford) €163 per week (Laois, Offaly and Westmeath)Clare, Limerick and Tipperary North €172 per week Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and Meath €172 per week (Monaghan and Cavan) €186 per week (Louth and Meath)Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo €158 per week (Donegal and Sligo) €153 per week (Leitrim)Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and Tipperary South €158 per weekGalway, Mayo and Roscommon€180 per week (Mayo and Roscommon) €186 (Galway)Cork and Kerry €189 per week (Cork) €183 per week (Kerry)





SI 221/07 sets down the maximum amounts of Rent Supplement payable is €55 for a single person and €60 for couples who are tenants in voluntary housing developments (funded through the Capital Assistance Scheme).


----------



## chippy (7 Dec 2009)

Hi thanks for your help,what i really want to know  is will the social tell me what they are paying my tenants in rent allowance?  Chippy


----------



## Papercut (7 Dec 2009)

Hi chippy

  Rent Supplement is paid by the local Health Board (HSE) & the local Community Welfare Officer is the person who administers it.

  They should not tell you how much your tenants are receiving, as this is a matter between them & your tenants. The same goes for their Social Welfare payments. You could however ask your tenants to provide you with a letter from their CWO stating how much they are in receipt of.

  It would be difficult to know how much they are receiving without knowing their particular financial circumstances, assessable income & details of any other entitlements they may be claiming etc. More details on how it’s calculated can be found here http://www.welfare.ie/syndicatedcon...-welfare-schemes/calculating-rent-supplement/

  However, just as a _broad general sweeping statement_ assuming that their sole income is basic social welfare payments, then _the chances are_ that all they have to contribute towards their weekly rent is €24, & the remainder would be paid by the HSE.

  Considering that their rent is used in the calculation for their rent supplement, & that they are meant to notify their CWO of any changes, they would not end up paying any less towards their rent themselves than they are already doing, so a rent reduction would be of no benefit to them, unless for some reason the rent is more than the maximum rent level for the area, or if for some reason their assessable income if any has increased, or some other reason resulting in their rent supplement being decreased.

  Maybe it’s the case that they are in financial difficulties, which is perfectly understandable, but it might be worth your while pointing the above out to them. Or it could be the case that they don’t intend notifying the CWO of the rent reduction.

  What you could do is ask them to provide you with a letter from their CWO stating how much Rent Supplement they are actually in receipt of. That way you would know exactly how much they are actually contributing themselves, & it would also alert the CWO to the fact that they are trying to negotiate a rent reduction. Or, you could offer to go with them to their CWO to discuss the matter.


----------

