The purpose of the rent supplement scheme is to provide short-term income support to assist with reasonable accommodation costs of eligible people living in private rented accommodation who are unable to provide for their accommodation costs from their own resources and who do not have accommodation available to them from another source. There are currently approximately 79,000 rent supplement recipients for which the Government has provided over €344 million for 2014.
Under the legislative provisions governing rent supplement, the Department’s relationship is with the tenant. Rent supplement is specifically for the benefit of tenants to assist them with their accommodation needs. There is no direct relationship between the landlord and the Department in the administration of the scheme. The tenant’s engagement with the Department usually takes place after the tenant has reached an agreement with the landlord.
I am aware that some landlords are advertising their property on public sites and stating that they are unwilling to accept rent supplement recipients as tenants. However, the fact that approximately 79,000 people are currently in receipt of rent supplement shows that a significant number of landlords are accommodating applicants of the scheme and that rent supplement recipients are able to access accommodation.