The number of residents receiving housing benefits in Riga is increasing every month. This is facilitated by both rising housing costs and the fact that from January 1 to April 30, the coefficients for calculating benefits were increased. As a result, some residents have seen their payments increase, and some Riga residents who previously did not meet the criteria can now qualify for this assistance.
Housing benefits in Riga were paid out:
in January — to 9,613 residents for a total of €1,556,191.08; in February — to 9,908 residents for a total of €1,818,000.45; in March — to 10,456 residents for a total of €2,323,480.87.
The amount paid in March may still change slightly. It includes both payments for March itself and recalculations for previous months. An additional 412 residents have already been assigned benefits totaling €41,154.04, but the funds have not yet been transferred.
Housing benefits are assigned from the month in which the Riga Social Service makes a decision to grant the main social benefit.
This is financial assistance to cover expenses related to housing maintenance. Such expenses include management fees, rent, and utility services — heating, electricity, water supply, sewage, waste disposal, as well as telecommunications and internet services.
The benefit for covering housing expenses is not automatically assigned to all residents of Riga. It can only be received by those households that meet the criteria established by regulatory acts.
An assessment is conducted for all applicants. Households consisting solely of pensioners or people with disabilities are checked every six months, while those with at least one working-age person are checked every three months.
A number of factors are taken into account during the assessment: household income, financial situation, including movable and immovable property owned by each family member, as well as accumulated funds. A list of property considered during the assessment can be found in Article 36 of the Law on Social Services and Social Assistance.
To assess income, each household member must submit documents to the Riga Social Service confirming their income for the last three full calendar months. It is also necessary to provide bank account statements or statements from postal payment systems, as well as receipts for rent and utility payments related to the use of residential premises.
