Rise In Rent Supplement.

Rent supplements and housing assistance payments to be increased from Friday 01/07/2016, Ministers confirm.

The increases will be on a county to county basis and local authorities can use their discretion
Caps on Rent Supplement and Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) schemes will be increased, it was confirmed today.

Minister For Social Protection Leo Varadkar and Housing Minister Simon Coveney confirmed the increases in a press conference today.

There will be a 25% average increase in Laois and Roscommon, a 21% average increase in Leitrim, Cork City, Longford, and Galway City, a 29% average increase in Dublin (outside of Fingal), a 19% average increase in Westmeath, Kildare, and Louth;and a 15% average increase in Cavan and Donegal.

The new limits mean that people who cannot afford the full cost of private rented accommodation will receive greater assistance from the State from this Friday.

Speaking following Cabinet, Minister Varadkar said: “These new rent limits reflect the fact that rents are rising right across Ireland and are back to their peak levels in some places.

“Through a combination of increased rent limits, and the ongoing flexibility and discretionary increases provided by my Department’s Community Welfare Service staff, we will provide more stability for tenants and reduce the danger of families becoming homeless when their rent is increased.”

Mr Varadkar said the Government was committed to ensuring the economy worked for everyone.

He added: “ We must ensure that we have a strong safety net so that everyone has a roof over their head. In many cases, Rent Supplement or Housing Assistance Payment is that safety net.”

Minister Coveney vowed to further tackle the homeless crisis in Ireland.

He said: “This requires a range of measures from all sectors involved, both short and long term.

"I’m confident that the new limits being announced today will help alleviate the pressure experienced by families in the private rented sector, while other longer term housing measures are put in place.

"They will help households to remain in their existing homes while also providing sufficient flexibility to enable people to source accommodation in a constrained rental market.”

They have also advised anyone who has entered an informal top-up arrangement with their landlord to contact their Community Welfare Service for assistance, as the Department of Social Protection will regularise these top-ups in most cases.”

Local authorities operating Housing Assistance Payment have also been given the power to make discretionary enhanced payments due to the shortage of supply in the rental market.

The move has been welcomed by homeless charity The Peter McVerry Trust.

CEO Pat Doyle said: “Today’s announcement will help reduce the number of people who would have otherwise ended up in homeless services, right across the country. It will hopefully lessen the acute pressures faced by agencies trying to tackle the problem and will create a breathing space to allow them to respond in other ways.”

Source: Irish Mirror 28/06/2016