I welcome the news that higher Rent Supplement limits are being introduced in Cork to help with rising rents

Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar and Minister for Housing, Planning & Local Government Simon Coveney have confirmed today that Cabinet has agreed to increase rent limits under the Rent Supplement and Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) schemes.

Cork and every county or county sub-district in Ireland has a maximum rent limit, within which Rent Supplement can be paid. The new measure agreed by Cabinet today means that maximum rent limits will increase in Cork and in every part of Ireland, with the increase reflecting the pressures on rental properties in each particular location.

The average increase in the allowance is approximately 20%. It is higher for those with children than those without children. Allowance increases for Cork are as follow:

 

County:	Single Shared	Couple Shared	Single	Couple	Couple/One Parent Family – 1 Child	Couple/One Parent Family – 2 Children	Couple/One Parent Family – 3 Children
Cork	€300	€330	€550	€650	€900	€925	€950

 

The new limits mean that people in Cork who cannot afford the full cost of private rented accommodation, will receive greater assistance from the State from this Friday, July 1st.

Anyone in Cork who has entered an informal top-up arrangement with their landlord is advised to contact their Community Welfare Service for assistance, as the Department of Social Protection will regularise these top-ups in most cases.

This will provide more stability for tenants in Cork and reduce the danger of families becoming homeless when their rent is increased.

This Government wants to ensure that our recovering economy works for everyone in Cork. We aim to achieve this by promoting an enterprise economy, making work pay, investing in public services, ensuring opportunity and a fair go for everyone. We must ensure that everyone in Cork has a roof over their head.