Landlords No Longer Allowed To Refuse To Accept Rent Supplement

Landlords no longer allowed to refuse to accept rent supplement

It is now illegal to refuse to rent a house to anyone on rent supplement. Under new equality laws, those receiving an allowance towards the cost of their accommodation are protected against discrimination. Anyone who advertises a property saying that rent allowance is not accepted, or who refuses to rent to someone on rent allowance, could be fined up to 15,000 euro. Irish Human Rights Equality Commissioner Emily Logan says it is a significant development that tenants should be aware of. "Complaints must be made within six months of the date of discrimination" she said. "So the maximum award that can be made by the Workplace Relations Commission for discrimination and discriminatory advertising is 15,000". "It is now their legal obligation to ensure that they do not discriminate" she added.