Your property questions answered.
Old newspapers are hot stuff
Sorry for using this column as a directory, but I noticed a couple of weeks ago you tracked down a product - wool insulation - for someone. I am similarly "green" and have heard about insulation made of old newspapers. Is it available here and is it something that I can install myself?
This column welcomes any home related questions and we're only too happy to give any help we can in tracking down products or services.
There is a paper-based insulation product - a German brand called isofloc - available through an Irish company called Healthbuild, 20 John Street, Sligo, tel 071-9150095, healthbuild@iol.ie, www.healthbuild.com.
It's not, as you can imagine, a case of jamming sheets of old newspapers between the joists - this is a rather more sophisticated product made up of cellulose fibre fluffs which are made of recycled newsprint, papers and a fire retardant. Basically the fluffs are blown through a rotator and long hose to the area where needed.
It can be used in attics, for timber frame walls, and to insulate floors. DIY is not advisable except for small, simple loft areas and you'd want to be fairly confident that you know what you're doing.
Healthbuild has been installing this type of paper insulation since 1990 and say the technology is 80 years old; while it's not common in this country, it's commonplace in the US, Germany and the UK.
The company also say that prices can work out at 50 per cent lower than sheepswool or hemp insulation but you'll have to work that out that for yourself, based on your own particular requirements. Let us know how you get on.
How do I get my tax break?
I notice that I didn't get any tax relief even though I am a renter; I was under the impression that people in private rented accommodation get a tax break.
As you may have recently read there is a pile of money sitting in Revenue unclaimed by PAYE workers who simply don't realize their entitlements.
You do get a tax break on rent but you must actively claim for it. The same is true for certain local authority charges such as bin charges and some water supply charges. It's these sort of tax breaks - small as they are - that some householders are missing out on.
Mortgage relief is different in that it is given at source and people seem to be more aware of it. For renters in private rented accommodation aged under 55, the maximum amount that can be claimed is €1,650 if single or €3,300 for a married couple or widowed person.
The rates are higher if over 55 and relief is restricted to the standard rate. You don't say where you are but look in your local phone book for the number of your local Revenue office or log onto www.revenue.ie.
This relief is only for people in private rented accommodation - it doesn't apply to people in local authority accommodation. Don't worry that you didn't get the relief for last year - you can backdate your claim for the previous four years.
Send your queries to Property Questions, The Irish Times, 10-16 D'Olier Street, Dublin 2 or email propertyquestions@irish-times.ie.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to respond to all questions. The above is a representative sample of queries received. This column is a readers' service and is not intended to replace professional advice. No individual correspondence will be entered into.
