The Accommodation Recognition Payment

Yes. No matter how you came to host or be hosted, everyone who is hosting a person from Ukraine under the EU Temporary Protection Directive is eligible to receive the ARP.

No. Currently, the ARP is only available to those hosting Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection. If you’re hosting refugees from elsewhere and would like to join our campaign to extend the ARP, please fill in this form

No. Apart from utility costs, the only money a host should receive is the ARP payment from the Department of Social Protection. Receiving additional payments can blur the lines between hosting and renting, leading to potential legal complications.

While this setup might appear attractive and it's ultimately up to hosts and guests to decide on their own terms, it's important to understand the difference between a rental tenancy and a hosting arrangement, as well as the possible implications that come with it.

See next question…

When someone rents a self-contained place and pays the owner for the right to live there, that's called a tenancy. These tenancies are covered by the Residential Tenancies Act, 2004, and regulated by the Residential Tenancies Board.

However, if someone lives with the property owner, it's a different story. These situations, often called ‘lodger’ or ‘digs’ arrangements, are known as ‘licences’ instead of tenancies. This means they don’t have the same tenancy rights under the Act.

Yes. It's important to have a clear agreement. It's also important for both hosts and guests to know that a licence or tenancy can still happen even if no formal lease or licence has been signed. Whether it's considered a lease or a licence depends on the specific details of each situation.

We recommend that everyone signs a licence agreement and the Home Sharing Agreement, to set the terms and conditions of the arrangement out clearly from the beginning. It’s never too late to put an agreement in place. Download our Home Sharing Agreement.

No. ARP is not payable if there's a rental agreement in place with the guest in your home or property.

Concurrently receiving both ARP and rental payments from guests may lead to complications with regulatory bodies such as the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), Revenue, and the Department of Social Protection, particularly for self-contained properties. We’ve consulted the experts, and here are some possible implications:

1. Residential Tenancies Board (RTB): Might consider the arrangement a tenancy, leading to obligations under the Residential Tenancies Act. More info here.
   

2. Revenue: Rental income is taxable. Failing to declare it while receiving ARP could lead to tax implications. There’s a useful article on this, here.
   

3. Department of Social Protection: Concurrently receiving ARP and rental payments could be viewed as fraud, risking suspension of benefits or legal action.

Other than a contribution to utility costs, the only money a host should receive is the financial contribution from the Department of Social Protection.

If you pay additional payments extending beyond utility bills within the ARP scheme, this does not establish a landlord-tenant relationship in a shared property. It does not automatically afford you the same legal protections as a traditional tenancy agreement.

Speak to your host first. If issues persist, contact the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) or reach out to your caseworker if you were placed by an organisation.

Yes. We’ve had a small number of guests already move into rental accommodation, contact your local Intreo Office for more information on rent supplement.

Yes. We recommend that all guests contribute towards their own utility costs. Remember that your guests may not be aware of the rising costs of energy in Ireland. Talk to them openly and honestly about sharing costs and bills and detail their responsibilities in your licence/home sharing agreement.

We have created a Utility bills guide that may help your guest.

Tenancy: Rights include protections against eviction and standards of accommodation. When you enter into an agreement and pay rent in a self-contained property, you gain certain tenancy rights, including protections against eviction and the right to accommodation which meets certain standards. To learn more about tenancy rights, click here.

Licence: When availing of ARP supported accommodation and where you live with your host, whether through HIH, The Irish Red Cross, IOM or privately, you enter into a licence agreement with the host. This means, you do not gain the same tenancy rights through this licence agreement.

It's important for both hosts and guests to understand that a licence or tenancy can exist even without a formal agreement, depending on the specific situation.

When considering living in host accommodation under the ARP scheme, it's crucial to understand that the ARP is a recognition payment for hosts.

It's not a rental contribution.

It’s not a rent supplement.

It’s not a stipend.

It does not automatically afford you the same legal protections as a traditional tenancy agreement.

Understand the terms of your licence agreement and the limitations on tenancy rights. Here’s basic info that we hope helps:

Tenancy: Rights include protections against eviction and standards of accommodation. When you enter into an agreement and pay rent in a self-contained property, you gain certain tenancy rights, including protections against eviction and the right to accommodation which meets certain standards. To learn more about tenancy rights, click here

Licence: When availing of ARP supported accommodation and where you live with your host, whether through HIH, The Irish Red Cross, IOM or privately, you enter into a licence agreement with the host. This means, you do not gain the same tenancy rights through this licence agreement.