Payment cuts see families pay rent shortfall

Limits on rent supplement payments set by the Government are forcing thousands of families to make undeclared top-up payments to landlords to secure places to live.

TDs and senators have complained that limits set by the Department of Social Protection on payments to assist low-income families to obtain private rented accommodation failed to reflect rental prices in the market.

They also expressed concern that the problem of such unrealistic limits was being exacerbated by the unlikelihood of landlords declaring such top-up payments for tax purposes when the issue was raised at an Oireachtas committee meeting last week.