Rent Allowance with family

I

irishguy

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I have an investment property that I am letting out. My Mum is entitled to rent allowance I was wondering would I be allowed to let to her under RA and potent ely the RAS scheme. I have contacted a number of government departments and have got conflicting answers. I have looked over both tenant and landlord documentation and there are no questions in relation to this.

So could my Mum just apply as a tenant?
 
Your mother cannot claim RA when renting from a relative.

Just think. if everyone decided to rent out a room/apartment/house to a relative who can claim rent allowance, there would literally be thousands upon thousands doing so.
 
Some departments say if its a legitimate letting (which it will be) that its allowed. I dont see how there would be a huge increase in claims as all the tenants would have to be eligible for RA first.

So I could let my Mum rent another property under RA and let out my property under RA to someone else. The state would still be paying the same, but obviously I would like some that I could trust in my property.

Also what would define what a relative would be, could I let to my aunt or 3/4th cousin? I assume I would have to read the specific law...

Also there doesnt appear to be any questions about this on any of the forms so I cant see why I cant just apply for it. Or even the property could be in my wifes name.
 
I am pretty certain that if you are letting a property that has been let before by you there is no obstacle to you letting it to a relative on RA. It must have been let before by you to other tenants. You would need leases and possibly PRTB registration proof to satisfy the Dept.
 
There is no specific restriction on renting to/from a relative. The only restriction is that a person cannot apply for Rent Supplement while living at home with his/her parents.

The general qualifying criteria for Rent Supplement must be met by the tenant (have rented for 6 months or be on the housing list, qualify on income grounds), the rent must be under the limit for family size and county, and the tenant must not be over-accomodated.

The tenancy must be bona fide - in terms of family renting, this means that the property must have been rented previously (i.e. this isn't a first tenancy), the tenant must have rented previously, and there must be a tenancy agreement/lease in place.

Before proceeding, I would ask the prospective tenant to check with the local authority whether renting from a family member will affect their status on the housing list (It shouldn't but it's best to double check prior to making any arrangements).
 
The property has only been rented by someone else for 6months so I am not sure if that would be enough. How would I prove this to them? The tenancy will be all above board
 
If you have a copy of the previous tenant's lease/tenancy agreement, or PRTB registration, that would show that the property has been rented previously.
 
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