Current landlord refusing HAP

I have a HAP tenant and find the HAP scheme fine. Rent is paid the last Wed of the month and tenant pays a small amount to top up. They are lovely to deal with in the office, my tenant regularly pays rent late and I get the pink letter so they know her well as she goes in to sort it out before the payment date.

I had an inspection alright and there were a few niggly things that needed to be sorted out. I found that an expensive nuisance at the time! But I wouldnt see the HAP as a negative thing at all.
 
I'm a HAP landlord. Like you some of my tenant's were moved from the council paying them, and them paying me to the HAP. Where the payment is directly to the landlord. And the tenant pays the council a contribution. I think the tenant can pay it directly at the post office where they get their social welfare or they can pay a direct debit.

It was a nightmare at the beginning to set it up paper wise. They were terrible to deal with. But I had another tenant join HAP this month, previously not a social welfare tenant and it was a breeze as I already exist in the HAP system and I knew exactly what they needed.

HAP payments are paid from a Limerick office, separate to the councils. Into my bank account.

That is not the main problem, it's the fact they pay one month in arrears. Easily solved by you paying that to your landlord and agreeing now to do so. (with my tenants we just got them to pay extra over a period of time as it's hard for some to get a month's rent all of a sudden.

As regards inspections and standards. There have been zero HAP inspections and zero inspections ever by two city councils in my more than two decades of being a landlord.

Last year one tenant didn't pay the council, after a few weeks the council sent me a pink letter about this, it all got sorted (tenant paid up) but I figured out that a landlord could be a long time out of pocket if the council don't notify the landlords immediately.

One advantage for me as an non resident landlord the HAP deducts 20% tax and that means I've already paid the taxman when I do my tax returns.
What happens if the tenant stops paying the council their contribution?
 
Unlike the previous RAS scheme it is permissible under HAP for the tenant to top up the HAP payment.

Say the rent is €1,000 HAP pays the landlord €900, the tenant contributes say €50 to HAP for that, and the tenant pays the landlord €100 directly.

If the tenant does not pay his/her €50 to HAP, then HAP stops paying €900 to the landlord. They do not stop immediately but after, from memory 6 weeks, of non receipt by HAP of the tenants contribution, HAP stops paying the landlord.
So HAP payments are not guaranteed then as I've seen some people say, all that has to happen is the tenant to stop paying the council their contribution and the landlord is left high and dry with no rent coming in. Is that correct?
 
So HAP payments are not guaranteed then as I've seen some people say, all that has to happen is the tenant to stop paying the council their contribution and the landlord is left high and dry with no rent coming in. Is that correct?

That is correct, to the best of my knowledge.
 
Maybe not anyone on here, but it happens.
Thanks for the link. As a landlord, this is the kind of scenario that would keep me awake at night, and it is the reason I would prefer not to accept HAP based tenants.
I'd imagine it is a very long and difficult process for the the landlord to get his property back and he would be lucky claw back any lost rent owed to him.
 
Thanks for the link. As a landlord, this is the kind of scenario that would keep me awake at night, and it is the reason I would prefer not to accept HAP based tenants.

You do realise that to refuse to accept HAP tenants is illegal and there are severe penalties

Maybe not anyone on here, but it happens.

Great link Leo. 655 Stopped out of 54,000, that is over 1.2%
 
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