The WRC found that a rental applicant’s Equal Status complaint against a property letting company was outside its jurisdiction because she missed the deadline to notify the company. The complaint was not upheld and the merits were not decided. Adjudication Officer Pat Brady dated the decision 27 July 2017.
The case arose after a family’s tenancy fell through. The applicant said the landlord would not accept a family member who received social welfare payments. She also said a letting agent had threatened retaliation if she complained.
The company argued that the applicant had not given written notice within two months of the incident and had applied too late for an extension. The officer found that she sought an extension nearly six months after the incident. The law allowed an extension to four months in exceptional circumstances, but the request came after that period. The complaint was therefore not within jurisdiction and was not upheld; the alleged discrimination was not decided.