The Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) is a targeted scheme catering for the accommodation needs of persons in receipt of Rent Supplement from the Department of Social Protection, generally for more than 18 months, and who are assessed as having a long-term housing need.
From its inception in 2004 up to the end of June 2014 expenditure totalling some €707.1 million has been incurred under the scheme, while some 49,788 households with a long-term housing need have been transferred from Rent Supplement to RAS and other social housing solutions.
Transfers from rent supplement are made up of private transfers (that is private rented accommodation provided by private landlords), transfers to voluntary housing and transfers to local authority housing.
The following table sets out the total annual expenditure, the total numbers transferred from Rent Supplement between 2008 and end June 2014, and the number of those who transferred to Private Rented Accommodation.
|
Year
|
Annual Expenditure
|
Annual Total
No. of Transfers
|
Transfers to Private Rented Accommodation
|
|
2008
|
€53,025,430
|
6,915
|
3,012
|
|
2009
|
€83,394,513
|
6,802
|
3,355
|
|
2010
|
€100,076,430
|
6,609
|
3,642
|
|
2011
|
€115,917,365
|
6,337
|
3,630
|
|
2012
|
€125,429,966
|
5,451
|
2,956
|
|
2013
|
€130,886,608
|
4,701
|
2,397
|
|
end JUN 2014
|
€63,914,366
|
1,877
|
1,003
|
In the same period, 14,979 households were transferred from Rent Supplement to Local Authority Social Housing and 3,718 to Approved Housing Body accommodation.
The annual expenditure figures in the table above include recoupments to local authorities for the contracted rents due to landlords (market rents), the prescribed Rent Supplement limits for approved housing bodies, administration costs (annual recurring costs and once off costs accrue depending on the housing solution), deposits on newly acquired accommodation and payments made in respect of additional units supplied under the Social Partnership Agreement Towards 2016.
My Department does not hold data on the amount directly paid by authorities to private landlords in respect of individual lettings under the scheme. However, based on data provided by local authorities, the average monthly rent paid under the scheme in the years 2008 - 2013 is set out in the following table, broken down by different types of units:
|
Year
|
1 bed unit
|
2 bed unit
|
3 bed unit
|
4 bed unit
|
|
2008
|
€580
|
€708
|
€781
|
€868
|
|
2009
|
€522
|
€619
|
€707
|
€771
|
|
2010
|
€496
|
€590
|
€670
|
€733
|
|
2011
|
€479
|
€563
|
€646
|
€710
|
|
2012
|
€467
|
€557
|
€639
|
€709
|
|
2013
|
€499
|
€569
|
€651
|
€708
|
The following table shows the number of housing units provided and the funding recouped to housing authorities for the provision of social housing units by means of construction and acquisition over the years 2008 to 2013.
|
Year
|
Number of Units
|
Expenditure
|
|
2008
|
5,692
|
€978.6m
|
|
2009
|
4,089
|
€670.6m
|
|
2010
|
2,178
|
€417.5m
|
|
2011
|
819
|
€189.2m
|
|
2012
|
714
|
€116.9m
|
|
2013
|
546
|
€83.3m
|
