Madam, – I refer to an article by Carl O’Brien in your edition of February 18th, “Government urged to reduce rent payments to landlords”.
This quotes the Fine Gael spokesperson on social and family affairs, Ms Olwyn Enright, talking about Fine Gael’s call on the Government to review the rent supplement scheme in light of falling rents. Does she not realise that many landlords, particularly in Dublin have not reduced rents and do not claim the rent supplement directly? It is collected by the claimant, who as tenant must then “top-up” the payment to make up his or her rent, which is then paid to the landlord.
Furthermore, a survey by Daft.ie mentioned in the article says that rents nationally fell by 12 per cent. This may be the case, but if you try to search for a flat on their website where the landlord of that flat will accept rent allowance you will find very few vacancies, particularly in Dublin, open to social welfare recipients.
It is a matter of fact that a single person is entitled to €112 per week towards rent. This will hardly get a bedsit, let alone a flat in Dublin – and that’s if you are lucky to get a landlord who will accept social welfare payments.
What Ms Enright and her colleagues at Leinster House should be doing is protecting tenants and ensuring that landlords reduce rents. Perhaps there should be statutory rent levels set annually in line with consumer price indices and inflation rates. – Yours, etc,