Rent Supplement

You may qualify for a Rent Supplement if you live in private rented accommodation and are unable to meet the cost of your rent. You must be in receipt of either a Social Welfare payment or Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) payment in order to receive this Supplement.

Community Welfare Service (CWS) Officers in local Health Centres have guidelines on what is considered reasonable accommodation for your family size and there are specific 'caps' or limits on the maximum amount of rent you are allowed to pay to a landlord in order to qualify for a Rent Supplement. View a list of Maximum Rent Levels in various parts of the country here.

If your rent is above the maximum 'cap' or limit for your family size the Health Board can refuse to pay any rent supplement.

Each Health Board area has its own maximum rent levels and different levels apply to single people, couples and couples/lone parents with children. Contact the INOU for more information on the different levels.

If you apply for a Rent Supplement you will be referred to your local authority for an 'assessment of housing needs'. You may not qualify for a rent supplement until a housing assessment has been completed by the local authority.

Some of the most common reasons that people do not qualify for a rent supplement are:

• The rent is too high
• Your income is too high
• One member of the household is working full-time (over 30 hours per week or more)

If your Rent Supplement continued after 31 March 2021, it will be reviewed and the existing Rent Supplement rules, guidelines and means assessment will apply.

Contact Us

Telephone

You can speak, in complete confidence, to an Information Officer in the Information and Advocacy section directly at 01 - 856 0088 , Monday - Thursday 9.30 am to 5.00 pm and Friday 9.30am to 4.00pm.

Online

Use the online Contact Us forms on the INOU website