Dublin Housing Rent Allowance & Social Welfare Benefit

Due to the current recession, many people with mortgage arrears, loans or credit card debts beyond their ability to pay, and/or lack of employment have been forced to apply for rental supplement, also known as rent allowance or housing benefit. The recession has also affected landlords, to the extent that they may look more favourably on rental allowance to provide an income from what otherwise would be empty apartments.

Rent supplement is paid by local county councils to those people occupying private rented accommodation and who would otherwise be unable to pay their monthly rent from their own income.

If a person's only source of income is a social welfare payment, then they may well be eligible for rental supplement. Most people reliant on HSE or social welfare payments are entitled to avail of rental supplements.

The amount of rental supplement payable is based on the idea of making sure that a person's income does not fall below a certain minimum level, after the payment of their monthly rent. The community welfare officer for the area in which the applicant is located will check to see if the applicant for rental income is genuinely in need of the extra financial assistance provided by rental income. The community welfare officer will also ensure that the accommodation is suitable for the applicant's requirements and that the rent the applicant is expected to pay each week is less than the maximum rental income payable by the HSE for the area the applicant is living in.

A person may receive rental supplement if they have been living for 183 days out of the previous 365 in one, or a mixture of the following accommodations: be assessed in the last 365 days by a local authority as being eligible for and in need of social housing or be living in accommodation or an institution for homeless people.

The information in this article is for general information only and is subject to errors and omissions. You should always check with your local health board for the latest details on rent supplements. Another good source of information is your local citizen's advice centre.

Dublin South City Health Centres include:

Dolphin Barn House (Community Welfare Service) Cork Street, Dublin 8
Bride Street Health Centre, 36A Bride Street, Dublin 8 Telephone: 454 3344
Irishtown Health Centre, Irishtown Road, Irishtown, Dublin 4 Telephone: 660 8629
Rathfarnham Health Centre Grange Road, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14 Telephone: 493 3431
Rathmines Health Centre 36 Upper Rathmines Road, Rathmines, Dublin 6 Telephone: 497 3547
South Earl Street Health Centre South Earl Street (off Meath Street), Dublin 8 Telephone: 415 8250
Terenure Health Centre 68 Terenure Road North, Terenure, Dublin 6 West Telephone: 490 4648/4148/9882/4597
75 Terenure Road North, Terenure, Dublin 6 West (Community Welfare Service) Telephone: 490 4648/4148/9882/4597




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