Call for rent allowance to be withdrawn for criminal behaviour

RENT ALLOWANCE should be taken from those in private rented accommodation who engage in criminal or anti-social behaviour, the Dáil heard.

Michael Noonan (FG, Limerick East) has urged Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Hanafin to adopt a code of conduct similar to that implemented by local authorities who “vet their tenants well, and have tenant officers who go around. Most importantly, they have a code of conduct.”

Mr Noonan said those on rent supplement could be refused payment if they failed to comply with the code of conduct. That kind of sanction “would do more than community gardaí are currently doing to ensure that anti-social behaviour, minor and major criminal activity was stopped in rented houses”.

He said a minority of tenants were causing havoc.

“Some of them are involved in criminal activity, others in anti-social behaviour, and some are involved in unauthorised businesses such as car repair on the front driveway. Again, others will not even empty their rubbish, and it is stacking up in back gardens.”

He said the Minister would be taking over responsibility for the rent allowance scheme from the HSE, and it was an opportunity for her to put in place a code of conduct for tenants.

If tenants on rent allowance “do not comply with the code of conduct the rent allowance should be taken from them by discontinuing payment”.

The HSE administers the scheme and it “simply carries out a means test and decides who is eligible for serious amounts of money, and as soon as the rent allowance commences, that is the end of the matter. It washes its hands of all responsibility for the behaviour of its tenants” even though a significant amount of public money was being spent.

“This is unacceptable,” he said. It was “not good enough for the State to be giving such sums of money for which there is no recourse when people” cause havoc.

Minister of State for Finance Dr Martin Mansergh, speaking for Ms Hanafin, accepted Mr Noonan’s point.

He said there were “no specific plans for a review” of the scheme, but it would “continue to be monitored on an ongoing basis”.