Families forced to dig deep for rents despite allowance

One in six families in receipt of rent allowances in Co Cork are having to dig deeply into their own pockets to cope with rising rents.

The situation is reportedly particularly acute in the greater Cork area where rents have increased dramatically in recent months. As a result, some families are being forced to relocate to Mid-Cork and West Cork as they cannot afford to rent properties near the city.

Under the housing assistance payment scheme (HAP), a family with three children receives €750 monthly towards their rent. The local authority pays it directly to the landlord. The tenant, in turn, pays a differential rent to the local authority based on a household’s weekly income.

However, it has been claimed that tenants also have to pay a landlord to top up the rent demand.

Figures released yesterday by Cork County Council showed that, among the 669 families in receipt of HAP, 110 pay significantly more out of their own pockets to keep a roof over the heads.

The largest numbers, 29, are in the Ballincollig and Carrigaline areas, with 23 in East Cork electoral area (Glanmire /Midleton/Cobh), and 21 around Bandon and Kinsale.

Cllr Des O’Grady (SF), who had sought the report, said it was clear the HAP scheme was not working. He said it was driving families out of the market in the greater Cork area and also leading to homelessness.

He said that Daft.ie yesterday indicated that there were only five homes in Ballincollig available for rent. “There are four three-bedroom houses costing between €1,175 and €1,300 a month. The one two-bed apartment was €1,100 per month.”

He said while landlords were “scoring on the double”, families were having to cut down on food, heating, and clothing to pay the differential.

His colleague, Cllr Donnchadh O’Laoighaire, said he was aware of a case where one family had moved from Carrigaline to Kealkil near Bantry as they could not afford the rent close to the city.

He said another family had relocated from Ballincollig to Ballyvourney.

Mr O’Grady said: “There is no single policy which will end homelessness or the housing crisis. The Government must acknowledge that the only way to fully address this crisis is to immediately commence a major social housing building programme.

“We also need rent regulation measures to decrease rents in the private market and limit future increases to stop the flow of existing tenants into homelessness.

“We need an increase in rent supplement to keep renters in their homes and help others access accommodation.”

Cllr Michael Creed (FG) told the meeting in County Hall that “there are a lot of good landlords out there. However, I accept some are not up to scratch.”

Cllr Melissa Mullane (SF) questioned if the council had inspected all 669 properties rented from private landlords under the HAP scheme, and had ensured they met certain standards.

Council chief executive Tim Lucey admitted there were problems with the scheme but said that the council did not have flexibility to pay an increased subsidy.

“South Dublin County Council were given flexibility to go 20% above the maximum allowances. We are of the view that we need that flexibility as well in the urban areas of our county.”