On 1 August the rent subsidy will be increased by 50% meaning that families living under the median standard of living could benefit from up to €400 per month. Photo: Shutterstock.

On 1 August the rent subsidy will be increased by 50% meaning that families living under the median standard of living could benefit from up to €400 per month.  Photo: Shutterstock.

The government will increase the rent subsidy and will freeze rent prices until the end of the year to help the most vulnerable households through the energy crisis.

Trade unions CGFP and LCGB, the government and employers’ union UEL signed an agreement following the tripartite negotiations which will lead to the introduction of three measures to support tenants and owners affected by the rising energy prices.

On 1 August the rent subsidy will be increased by 50% meaning that families living under the median standard of living could benefit from up to €400 per month. Within the €830m agreed by the government and trade and employers representatives to to support households and businesses through the energy crisis, €5m have been earmarked for rent subsidies.

Rents will also be frozen until 31 December in order to avoid higher rent prices as a result of larger subsidies. The PRIMe House aid scheme is set to enter into force in the coming days with a retroactive effect to 1 January 2022. Premiums for heating systems based on renewable energy will no longer have to be pre-financed by the beneficiaries. Instead, the state will pay directly to the company that carried out the installation. Those benefiting from the PRIMe grant will be able to receive a second sum in the form of a top-up which will come into force at the start of 2023. It will be applied retroactively to applicants who had been approved by the environment ministry in 2022.