Cork City had no home available to rent under Hap scheme, new report shows

There were just 33 properties available to rent within the discretionary Hap rate within 16 in-demand areas of the country, Simon Communities of Ireland report found

While the upper limit in Cork city for Hap households is €950, a discretionary rate of up to 35% more can also be applied. File picture: Larry Cummins

There was not one home available to rent within the discretionary rate of the Housing Assistance Payment (Hap) in Cork City or its suburbs, nor in most other areas surveyed in a damning new report.

The latest Locked Out of the Market review from the Simon Communities of Ireland found there were just 33 properties available to rent within the discretionary Hap rate within 16 in-demand areas of the country.

This is from 1,119 properties found available to rent at any price.

Furthermore, this figure of 33 properties is 23% lower than the number available in June 2024.

“For those reliant on a Hap payment, there is very few opportunities to secure a home, unless you have additional income to top up the payment,” said the Simon Communities executive director Wayne Stanley.

“[We] are seeing the consequences of this when it comes to families and individuals having to stay longer and longer in homelessness.” 

Hap is a payment for those on the social housing list where a household sources their own private rented accommodation within Hap limits, but the rent is paid by the local authority to the landlord. The household then pays a contribution towards to the rent to the local authority.

While the upper limit in Cork city for Hap households is €950, a discretionary rate of up to 35% more can also be applied.

In October 2024, there was not one property to be found within these limits in 12 of the 16 areas surveyed: Athlone, Cork city centre, Cork city suburbs, Dundalk, Galway city suburbs, Galway city centre, Co Leitrim, Limerick city suburbs, Limerick city centre, Sligo town, Portlaoise and Waterford city centre.

There was a dearth of properties available outside of Dublin, with 25 of the 33 properties available within the discretionary Hap limits found in the capital.

Mr Stanley added: “We are all witnessing the consequences in the monthly growth in the number of men, women and children in homeless emergency accommodation.

“The answers to this are there and spelled out in the recent Housing Commission report and in our own submissions to all political parties to deliver more public housing.”