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Amendment of section 31 (rent schemes and charges) of Act of 2009
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56. Section 31 of the Act of 2009 is amended—
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(a) by inserting the following after subsection (2):
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“(2A) Where payments are made in respect of rent, arrears of rent, or rescheduling arrangements are entered into, by or on behalf of one or more members of the tenant’s household, then such payments or arrangements shall not of themselves create a tenancy arrangement between the housing authority and the members concerned and, accordingly, other than in respect of the tenant, no tenancy rights shall arise or continue as a consequence of such payments or arrangements.”,
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(b) by inserting the following after subsection (5):
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“(5A) For the purposes of this section and sections 33 and 34, arrears of rent or other payments due to a housing authority under section 58(3) of the Principal Act shall be deemed to be arrears of rent or other charges referred to in subsection (3).”,
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and
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(c) by substituting the following for paragraph (g) of subsection (6):
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“(g) the waiving of rent and other charges, in whole or in part, on a temporary basis, in case of financial hardship;
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(h) subject to subsection (6A), the manner in which a housing authority shall, having regard to—
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(i) financial circumstances of households and their ability to pay rent,
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(ii) the other provisions of regulations made under this subsection, and
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(iii) any guidance issued in the matter under section 5,
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determine rent and charges under this section during a transitional period that will expire on a date prescribed by the Minister, which date shall not be later than 2 years after the date subsection (3) comes into operation.”,
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and
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(d) by inserting the following after subsection (6):
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“(6A) The Minister may, having regard to the composition, financial circumstances and ability to pay rent of a qualified household in receipt of housing assistance under Part 4 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014, prescribe the rent contribution that will be payable to a housing authority by a tenant who is a member of that household during the transitional period referred to in paragraph (h) of subsection (6).”
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