Number of properties to rent through HAP more than halved since December 

There were no properties available to couple/one parent households with one child through a standard HAP rate, according to the survey. File picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

The number of houses available to rent under the Housing Assistance Payment has more than halved since December.

According to the latest Locked Out of the Market survey from the Simon Communities of Ireland, there were 14 properties available to rent in any of the country’s HAP scheme — a decrease of 17 (55%) since December.

However, the survey showed there were 1,070 properties available to rent at any price within the 16 areas surveyed over the three dates in March 2026 — up from 929 in December.

The survey found that there were no properties available to rent within HAP limits in 10 of the 16 study areas — including the suburbs of Cork, Limerick, and Galway cities, and the city centres of Waterford and Limerick.

Under the HAP scheme, people are allowed to source private rented accommodation for which the rent is paid by their local council. The tenant pays a contribution back to the council under the scheme.

There were no properties available to couple/one parent households with one child through a standard HAP rate, according to the survey. 

It also found there were no properties available for a household of a couple or one parent with two children through a standard HAP rate.

The survey also revealed that:

• Six of the 16 study areas saw a reduction in the number of HAP properties available since the December 2025 report. These include Cork City Suburbs (one property), Dublin City North (7 properties), Dublin City South (7 properties), Dublin City Centre (2 properties), Dundalk (one property) and Kildare (1 property).
• 11 of the total 14 HAP properties were found in Dublin. Just three of the 13 study areas outside of Dublin had properties available to rent within any HAP limits with one of those being in Cork city centre.

Last month, in a submission to the Department of Housing, the charity called on the government to introduce reforms to the HAP system, turning it into a short to medium term assistance for families on social housing waiting lists.

The latest Locked Out report is the first since the Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 came into effect on March 1.

Simon Communities of Ireland executive director Ber Grogan said: “While changes such as six-year tenancies of minimum duration and limits on annual rent increases may provide greater stability for some renters, they fail to address the core issue — affordability, particularly for households relying on HAP.”

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