Housing
RAS Landlord Information
Contact us: 00353 1 2054700
Email: ras@dlrcoco.ie
Background
What Will Change?
Landlord/Tenant Relationship, Responsibilities of Landlord
Anti Social Behaviour
Rent Levels
Deposits and Damage to Property
Eligibility
How to become involved in RAS
Background
Supplementary Welfare Allowance Rent Supplement was introduced to be a short-term income support measure for people with accommodation emergencies.
Over recent years it has evolved, by default, into a medium to long-term housing support catering for in excess of 50,000 cases nationwide at a cost of 352 million euro to the Exchequer in 2004. It is estimated that approximately 30,000 of these Recipients have a long-term housing need that they cannot afford to meet from their own resources.
RAS is an attempt by the Government and the local authorities to provide for the long term housing needs of these Recipients.
What Will Change?
At present the Rent Supplement Applicant sources a private rented property and applies to the local Community Welfare Officer for Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) Rent Supplement. If the application is successful, the Community Welfare Officer makes a monthly payment towards the rent. The Tenant adds a rent contribution and pays the Landlord directly.
RAS will be administered by the Local Housing Authority - Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council - which will negotiate a “contract" with the Landlord in relation to the property under which the local authority will guarantee a monthly electronic payment, payable in advance, to the Landlord for the period of the contract.
A landlord considering entering the scheme with an existing tenant has two options to choose from:-
- Current Tenant Only – whereby the agreement is in relation to the tenant and should that tenant vacate the property, the agreement ends or
- Availability Agreement – whereby should the existing tenant, i.e. vacate the property; the Council can nominate a suitable tenant with a previous landlord reference, which has been vetted by the Council. Should the landlord opt for the Availability Agreement, the rent continues to be paid to the landlord during a vacancy period while the next tenant is being allocated the property.
A template of the lease that the Council uses for RAS in respect of either option chosen can be down loaded here:
Landlord/Tenant Relationship, Responsibilities of Landlord
Legally the Landlord and Tenant relationship will remain between those parties. The local authority will act as broker or agent on behalf of the Tenant.
The Landlord will retain responsibility for:
- Insurances - property, contents and public liability;
- Routine maintenance/repair and replacement of equipment; and
- Dealing with anti-social behaviour should it arise.
Anti Social Behaviour
Why should Landlords be responsible for dealing with anti social behaviour while the local authority has exclusive nomination rights to their property?
The rationale for this is five fold:
- The incidence of anti social behaviour in the existing SWA Rent Supplement regime is extremely low;
- The majority of RAS agreements are likely to be "package deals" where existing properties, Tenants and Landlords will move as a package from the SWA Rent Supplement regime to RAS. In these cases the Landlord will have selected the Tenant.
- The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 applies to all tenancies under RAS. Accordingly, the Landlord and the Tenant have recourse to the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB). Tenants who engage in anti-social behaviour will be in breach of their tenancy obligations under the Tenancy Agreement giving the Landlord grounds to terminate the Tenancy.
- Housing Authorities have formal vetting arrangements in place with the Gardai, the Area Health Services Executive and the local estate management committees to check the background of prospective RAS Tenants. This process is considered more thorough than the normal, short, introductory meeting between the Landlord and the prospective Tenant.
- The Government and Housing Authorities want to ensure the effective implementation of RAS accordingly Housing Authorities will make every effort to ensure that RAS Tenants do not engage in anti-social behaviour. Housing Authorities will have formal agreements with Tenants in this regard and RAS Tenants will be made aware that engaging in such behaviour could put their future entitlement to all State housing supports at risk.
Rent Levels
Rents will reflect local market rents. However, housing authorities are charged with making savings on current Rent Supplement rent levels. The rent payable will be the subject of negotiation but rents may not exceed the current SWA Rent Supplement rent level and a reduction in that rent will be sought in return for:
- The Landlord not having to collect rents for the duration of the RAS contract;
- The Landlord not having to fill vacancies (advertise and interview prospective Tenants) for the duration of the RAS contract;
- The fact that the average yield across the private rented sector is 11 months rent per annum due to vacancies/Tenant turnover;
- The very bankable asset that a guaranteed RAS rent payment represents;
- Guaranteed prompt payment, in advance, by a state agency.
- The fact that many Landlords pay a letting agent the equivalent of one month's rent per annum as a fee.
Deposits and Damage to Property
No deposits will be paid under RAS. However, where damage is caused to property which is more than routine wear and tear, the housing authority may be willing to guarantee the equivalent of up to one month’s rent towards the cost of repair/replacement. The details of this will be the subject of negotiation.
Eligibility
To participate in RAS Landlords must:
- Be tax compliant -Tax Clearance Certificate will be required annually - see http://www.revenue.ie for further information
- Agree to register the tenancy with the Private Residential Tenancies Board - see www.prtb.ie for further information
- Submit a BER Certificate & Report for their property - see Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland website for further information
- The property must meet the minimum standards
- Have paid the NPPR charge in respect of previous years
- Once you have returned the completed application and attached all relevant information, an you are satisfied you meet all the requirements, the Council will endeavor to process your application as soon as possible.
Tenants must have been in receipt of SWA Rent Supplement for a minimum of 18 months and be deemed by the relevant local authority to have a long term housing need. Non-nationals must have a "right to remain" in the State.
How to become involved in RAS
If you are interested in participating in the Scheme please contact the RAS Section, Housing Department, Marine Road, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin or complete Landlord Questionnaire 2010
Send the completed Landlord Application form, along with the BER Certificate & Tax Clearance Certificate to the above address.
The RAS Section would appreciate if contact/queries could be communicated by email where possible to the e-mail address below.
Email: ras@dlrcoco.ie
Phone: 00353 1 2047008 / 00353 1 2047012
Fax: 00353 1 2054711