DistantNews
Support us
No HAP Rental Properties Available Outside Dublin or Kildare in June, Report Finds
🇮🇪 Ireland /Economy & Trade

No HAP Rental Properties Available Outside Dublin or Kildare in June, Report Finds

From Irish Times · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Just 20 properties were available to rent under the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme limits in 16 surveyed areas in June.
  • No properties were available outside Dublin or Kildare within HAP limits, with 17 of the 20 available properties located in Dublin.
  • The Simon Communities of Ireland are calling for reforms to the HAP system, noting its decreased use as a homelessness prevention measure.

A stark lack of affordable rental properties within the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme limits has been highlighted in a new report, with no options available outside of Dublin or Kildare in June. The Simon Communities of Ireland's analysis found only 20 properties nationwide met HAP limits across 16 surveyed areas on three separate dates in June.

The Simon Communities of Ireland has published the Locked Out of the Market Report for over 10 years, and our message has remained the same – the HAP system needs reform.

— Ber GroganThe Executive Director at the Simon Communities of Ireland highlighted the long-standing need for HAP system reform.

The report, titled 'Locked Out of the Market,' also revealed that while 1,303 properties were available to rent at any price in the surveyed areas, a significant majority did not fall within HAP limits. This represents a 22% increase in overall available properties since March and a 33% increase since March 2025, yet affordability remains a critical barrier.

Of the 20 HAP-compliant properties, 17 were concentrated in three Dublin areas. Only one of the 13 areas surveyed outside Dublin, Kildare, had any HAP properties available, with just three listings. This scarcity underscores the ongoing crisis in social housing and the ineffectiveness of current HAP limits in addressing the needs of vulnerable individuals and families.

It is almost one year since the Minister [for Housing] confirmed that a review of HAP was under way, yet we are still no clearer on its findings or recommendations.

— Ber GroganBer Grogan expressed concern over the lack of progress on a promised review of the HAP system.

Ber Grogan, Executive Director at the Simon Communities of Ireland, expressed frustration with the persistent issues. "Our message has remained the same – the HAP system needs reform," she stated. "It is almost one year since the Minister [for Housing] confirmed that a review of HAP was under way, yet we are still no clearer on its findings or recommendations." Grogan questioned whether the upcoming Budget 2027 would finally bring the necessary increase to HAP limits, emphasizing that the scheme is failing to work as intended, leading to people being locked out of the market and facing discrimination.

Will Budget 2027 finally deliver the long-awaited increase to HAP limits?

— Ber GroganGrogan questioned whether the upcoming budget would address the inadequate HAP limits.

The report also noted a decrease in HAP's use as a homeless prevention measure or an exit from homelessness in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the previous year, further indicating the scheme's declining efficacy.

HAP is not working. People are still locked out of the market. We see and hear this on the ground every single day, across the country. People are being discriminated against.

— Ber GroganGrogan described the current reality of the HAP system's failure to provide adequate housing solutions.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Irish Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog