HAP tenants outside Dublin ‘face uphill struggle’ as supply dwindles – report

The number of available rental properties that accept housing assistance payments (HAP) has fallen in the first quarter of the year, according to a housing report.

The executive director of the Simon Communities of Ireland said HAP tenants outside Dublin “faced an uphill struggle” as the majority of HAP tenancies on offer are in the capital.

The housing charity’s latest Locked Out Of The Market report shows that just 41 properties were available to rent within the discretionary rate of the HAP scheme.

This is a decrease of five properties, or a fall of 11%, since December.

The quarterly report found 1,119 properties were available to rent at any price within the 16 areas surveyed over the three dates in March 2025.

This is a 9% reduction from the 1,123 properties available in the December Locked Out report.

The housing assistance payment (HAP) scheme is a social housing payment to landlords by local authorities, and tenants pay a contribution to their local authority.

The Simon Community report found there were no properties that accepted HAP tenancies available in 10 of the 16 areas surveyed in March.

These were Athlone, Cork City Centre, Cork City Suburbs, Galway City Centre, Co Leitrim, Limerick City Suburbs, Limerick City Centre, Sligo Town, Portlaoise, and Waterford City Centre.

This was across all household categories within standard or discretionary HAP limits.

The greatest supply of properties within HAP limits are in Dublin, with 31 of the total 41 HAP properties found in the capital.

Here, the discretionary rate allows up to an additional 50% on the standard rate; this is limited to 35% elsewhere in the country.

Just three of the 13 study areas outside of Dublin had properties available to rent within HAP limits, these included Dundalk, where there were three properties, Galway City Suburbs, where there was one property, and Kildare, where there were five properties available.

Sligo Town and Portlaoise had the lowest number of properties available to rent, with just five and two properties available in each area.

Of the 16 study areas, just Cork City Centre and Galway City Suburbs had no change since December to the number of properties available to rent at any price.

Just two of the 16 study areas had an increase in the number of properties available to rent, Cork City Suburbs and Sligo Town.

Although studio apartments are not included in the overall figure for HAP properties in the Simon Communities report, there were 29 studio apartments available within HAP limits during the study period, with 27 in Dublin.

Only one of these properties was available within standard HAP limits.

There were no properties available to couple/one-parent households with one child through a standard HAP rate.

Executive director at the Simon Communities of Ireland, Ber Grogan, said the findings “continue to highlight the deepening crisis in Ireland’s private rental sector”.

“With most of the (HAP) properties concentrated in Dublin, the vast majority of the country remains effectively locked out of the rental market.

“In 10 of the 16 areas surveyed, there were no properties available within HAP limits at all. That is not a housing system that’s working for those most in need.

“Outside of Dublin, HAP tenants face an uphill struggle with little to no access to suitable or affordable homes, with discretionary limits proving insufficient to meet current rental prices.

“This leaves families and individuals with impossible choices: remain in emergency accommodation, face prolonged experiences of homelessness, or take on unaffordable rents in an unstable private rental market.

“We urgently need increased supply of affordable and secure housing. Targeted action is required now, to prevent further homelessness and ensure people can access and sustain a home.

“It beggars belief to think that rent pressure zones (RPZs) could be scrapped at the end of this year. We’re asking the minister to extend this legislation for at least one year to give people some certainty while alternatives are being discussed.”