The Workplace Relations Commission has ordered landlords Armstrong and Margaret Birhiray to pay tenant Rashidat Yusuff €1,500 after finding they discriminated against her by refusing to complete a Rent Supplement review form. The decision was dated 3 November 2023.
Yusuff had rented the property since 2016 and received Rent Supplement. She said she repeatedly asked the landlords to complete the form in December 2022, warning that her support could stop and she might be unable to pay rent. One landlord said he would not sign because a notice of termination had been served.
The adjudicator found that Yusuff had established a case of discrimination on the housing assistance ground under the Equal Status Act and that the landlords had not rebutted it. The refusal put her at risk of eviction. Threshold and the Rent Supplement Unit helped her continue receiving support, so she suffered no financial loss, but the adjudicator found she experienced great stress from December 2022 to May 2023.