The rent supplement scheme provides short-term support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source.
The rent supplement scheme is administered on behalf of the Department by the Community Welfare Service Division of the Health Service Executive as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. There are over 94,000 people in receipt of rent supplement of which over 34,000 are getting a supplement for 18 months or more. The number of rent supplement recipients has increased by 27% since the end of December 2008.
A person may be eligible for rent supplement if the accommodation is suitable to their needs, the rent is below the maximum rent level set for your county and the person is assessed in the last 12 months by a local authority as being eligible for and in need of social housing; living in accommodation for homeless people for 6 months (183 days) out of the last 12 months; living in private rented accommodation for 6 months (183 days) out of the last 12 months; or a tenant of accommodation provided under one of the Social Housing Schemes and the person satisfies a habitual residence test and a means test.
Under standard assessment rules, rent supplement entitlement is calculated to ensure that an eligible person, after the payment of rent, has an income equal to the rate of basic supplementary welfare allowance appropriate to his or her their family circumstances, less a minimum contribution of €24, which each recipient is required to pay from his or her own resources. The rent supplement means test provides for a gradual withdrawal of the supplement as hours of employment or earnings increase. Where a person has additional income in excess of the standard weekly rate of supplementary welfare allowance, the first €75 of this excess is disregarded, with 25% of remaining excess s also disregarded for means assessment purposes.
Applications for rent supplement should be made to the appropriate local community welfare officers who will examine the person's entitlement based on his or her personal circumstances.