The Workplace Relations Commission found that Hazelwood Park Properties Galway Limited discriminated against tenant Niall Martin Thompson on the housing assistance ground and ordered it to pay him €4,000. The decision was dated 6 January 2023.
Thompson said he asked the landlord to sign forms for his Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) in April 2021, but they were not returned until October. He was able to receive HAP from November. The landlord’s agent cited a delay obtaining tax clearance while the accountant worked from home during Covid-19, and accepted there had been a delay.
The adjudicator found there was no evidence of a genuine attempt to complete the forms and rejected the sale of the property as an explanation. Thompson established a prima facie case of discrimination, which the landlord did not rebut. The compensation was equal to five months’ rent at €800 per month.