I rely solely on rent for my income, what are my options?

I am a landlord, and don’t have a loan, but the rent is my income. I have no other money to keep going. What are my options?

I received a call from a client recently in a similar position to you. However, she was in hospital with coronavirus at the time and she was worrying about this very same issue from her hospital bed.

I would suggest in the first instance that you contact your tenant to assess their situation and their ability to maintain the rent at the current level in light of Covid-19.

Government policy to date has been very much focused on maintaining people’s incomes for the next three months. There are an array of supports in place both from Social Welfare and from Revenue for employers. It’s important to establish if your tenant has accessed all the supports available to them or their employer.

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We are all in uncharted waters but best to engage with your tenant on the matter once they notify you of any issues regarding the rent. Your personal situation is more complicated and I think it would be advisable to discuss your options with a financial adviser if possible and to review what supports you might be able to avail of should you lose your income. – Roger Berkeley

Roger Berkeley is a chartered residential surveyor and member of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland scsi.ie