The Workplace Relations Commission awarded Killian O Brien €2,000 after finding his landlord discriminated against him on the housing assistance ground by failing to complete Housing Assistance Payment forms. The decision, dated 15 December 2022, also rejected O Brien's separate disability discrimination claim.
O Brien said the respondent, Tom Mc Guickian Landlord, would not complete the forms he needed for his HAP application. He told the WRC that the failure caused him a monthly loss of €80. The respondent did not attend either hearing date or contact the commission.
The adjudication officer accepted O Brien's evidence that he had sent an ES1 form and received no response, finding that he had established a prima facie case of discrimination on the housing assistance ground. The respondent did not rebut that inference. The officer took the reported monthly loss into account when setting the €2,000 award. On disability, the officer found O Brien had not established a prima facie case, so that part of his complaint was unsuccessful.