Brian, you haven't said where your property is, so depending on the area you live, there's different rates per category of person.
For example a single parent with 1 child in the Eastern Regional Health Board i.e. Dublin will pay of maximum of €953 per month, whereas Western Heath Board i.e. Galway, will pay €175 per week or €758 per month (175 * 52 / 12). Have a look at this link for all the rates:
FYI: I'm accepting rent allowance now, and I've no problem whatsoever with the tenant. Like all perspective tenant's, you need to follow up on references etc that they give you.