'They feel stuck': Longford families 'struggling' due to 'unfair' rent scheme system

A Longford county councillor has said an increasing number of tenants are struggling due to the impact the Differential Rent Scheme system he has described as unfair is having on their lives.

The Differential Rent Scheme system used by local authorities to calculate social housing rent based on household income.

Fianna Fáil's Kevin Hussey, who will bring a motion to today's meeting of Longford County Council, stated the Longford assessment rate at 22.5 per cent is one of the highest in Ireland.

He will outline he is bringing forward the motion because a soaring number of tenants are contacting him about the current Differential Rent Scheme and the effect it is having on their lives.

"I want to be clear from the start. I understand that rent needs to be paid and collected. “

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Cllr Hussey said the money coming into Longford County Council ‘helps pay for housing services and helps fund projects that benefit people across County Longford’.

The Longford town representative said the motion is not about saying people should not pay rent.

"It is about asking whether the current scheme is fair and whether it is working as it should.

"We have been told that around €10 million was collected in rent during 2025, yet rent arrears now stand at around €2.2 million.

"That should be a concern for all of us.

"What is even more concerning is that before the current Differential Rent Scheme came into place in 2023, arrears were much lower."

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Cllr Hussey said according to the Council’s own figures, rent arrears were around €925,000 in 2021 and around €851,000 in 2022.

However, currently the arrears are around €2.2 million.

"I am not saying that the rent scheme is the only reason for this increase.

"There may be a number of reasons.

"However, the timing raises questions that deserve to be looked at.

"If rents are higher than ever before and arrears have also gone up sharply, then surely we need to ask whether the current system is putting too much pressure on some households.

"And if arrears continue to rise, what happens next?

In his motion, Cllr Hussey also questioned how many of these cases will end up before the courts?

"How much will Longford County Council spend on legal fees, court costs and staff time trying to recover this money?

"Surely it would be better to look at the scheme now rather than spend public money dealing with the consequences later.

"The biggest issue I have with the current scheme is that many tenants feel they are being punished for working."

Cllr Hussey insisted work should pay.

"Nobody should be worse off because they got a pay rise.

"Nobody should be worse off because they worked overtime.

"Nobody should be worse off because they took on a second job.

"Nobody should be worse off because they received a once-off bonus."

However, Cllr Hussey stressed that is exactly how many tenants feel.

"I have spoken to people who are working extra hours just to keep up with the cost of living, only to see a large part of that extra income disappear through higher rent.

"I have heard of cases where somebody got a small pay rise and found that much of it was taken back through rent increases.

"One case that was brought to me involved a man who received a €700 bonus from work.

"He did the right thing. He declared it and handed in all the paperwork.

"As a result, his rent increased by around €14.50 per week.

"By the end of the year, the value of that €700 bonus had effectively been wiped out.

"That is not right.

"That is not the message we should be sending to people who are working hard and doing the right thing."

Cllr Hussey said he also knows 'of a couple who have lived in their council home for 17 years and are paying more than €300 per week' in rent.

"They would love to buy their home through the Tenant Purchase Scheme, but they cannot save for a deposit because so much of their income is going on rent.

"They feel stuck.

"They are paying a large amount every week but cannot get ahead.

"Another issue that has been raised with me is Carer’s Allowance.

"I understand that Carer’s Allowance is partly disregarded when rent is being worked out.

"However, I believe we still need to look at whether that goes far enough."

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme