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There were just 41 properties available to rent for people accessing HAP last month

HAP is a form of rental benefit payment to assist lower-income households.

JUST 41 houses were available to rent for people accessing the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) last month, a new report has found.

The Simon Communities Locked Out of the Market report for December, which examines 16 areas around the country, found the figure of 41 was a 17% increase from the 35 available in September 2022. 

40 of these fell within discretionary HAP limits only and only one property was available to rent under a standard HAP rate. This was a one-bedroom property in Kildare suitable for singles or couples.

HAP is a form of rental benefit payment to assist lower-income households.

Under HAP, a tenant’s main rent is paid directly to a landlord, with the tenant paying a differential rent to their local council. The tenants must cover their own deposit, and no rent is paid by the council in advance of them entering the home.

The report also found that the number of properties available to rent increased for the first time in two years.

There were 757 properties available to rent at any price within the 16 study areas, over the three dates surveyed.

This represents a 93.1% increase from the previous report (392), but still down 43.8% from the 1,349 properties available in December 2021. 

As seen in many recent Locked Out of the Market reports, the properties within HAP limits were predominantly available in Dublin.

24 (58.5%) were found in the three Dublin areas examined (Dublin city centre, Dublin city north and Dublin city south). 

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

11 of the 16 study areas had no properties available to rent in any household category within standard or discretionary HAP limits. These were Athlone, Cork city centre, Cork city suburbs, Galway city suburbs, Galway city centre, Co Leitrim, Limerick city suburbs, Limerick city centre, Sligo town, Portlaoise, and Waterford city centre. 

The report found 11 properties affordable under the discretionary HAP rates for both single people and couples. A further 23 properties were available under discretionary limits for households with one child. 30 properties were available for families with two children, under the discretionary HAP rate, 23 of which overlap with properties available to one-child families. 

“Our most recent report sees a small increase in the number of properties available for those on HAP. There were 35 in the last report and now 41. While any improvement in the context of the current crisis is welcome, it is sadly not possible to call this an improving situation,” Wayne Stanley, executive director at the Simon Communities of Ireland, said.

“The frontline experience of the Simon Communities working across Ireland, supporting people to move on from homelessness, reflects this,” Stanley said. 

“41 properties available in the context of 11,542 people seeking to exit homelessness is a chronic situation that requires an emergency response,” he added.

Stanley said the Government has “taken the important and welcome step of bringing in the moratorium on evictions”.

“Actions taken while this moratorium is in place will go a long way and what we need to see is momentum on the provision of secure affordable accommodation to those in homelessness throughout 2023,” he said. 

“In the short term, we need to look at the allocation of current local authority housing. If we are to ensure secure affordable homes are in place to address the homelessness crisis, we need to see the full potential in modular build, in vacancy and dealing with dereliction delivered on and brought into the public housing system.”

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    Mute Anna Carr
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    Dec 10th 2022, 11:58 AM

    Brrrrrrr…….. One word. LAYERS!!!

    313
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    Mute Mike Finnegan
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    Dec 10th 2022, 12:59 PM

    @Anna Carr: yeah, it’s tough weather for the poor hens…….

    203
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    Mute Geoff Bateman
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    Dec 10th 2022, 2:19 PM

    @Mike Finnegan: and the Bookmakers

    65
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    Mute Declan Moran
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    Dec 10th 2022, 5:15 PM

    @Anna Carr: birrrrrrrr is here in Offaly ;)

    48
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    Mute David Devane
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    Dec 10th 2022, 2:52 PM

    Did that say Yellow snow warning…

    153
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    Mute Sean O Cathasaigh
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    Dec 10th 2022, 3:28 PM

    My kids have no idea who hacksaw jimmy duggan, brutus the barber beefcake or macho man randy savage are. what the hell are they teaching them in school these days?

    172
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    Mute Peter McCabe
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    Dec 10th 2022, 3:30 PM

    @Sean O Cathasaigh: Christmas Carols

    46
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    Mute Maurice Glennon
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    Dec 10th 2022, 10:37 PM

    @Sean O Cathasaigh: teachers these days just stick on Youtube or Netflix for the kids & put their feet up.

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    Mute Colette Kearns
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    Dec 10th 2022, 9:20 PM

    What rotten weather for anyone homeless or can’t afford heating, our natural resources need to be brought back to public ownership, this greed is out of control & privatisation needs to be stopped now, these people’s greed is causing so much misery & their just plowing ahead with nobody controlling it all.

    115
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    Mute Irish Cottage Rental
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    Dec 10th 2022, 3:33 PM

    Falling as “rain or sleep” – yes please !

    67
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    Mute Aidan Conway
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    Dec 10th 2022, 2:58 PM

    Dont eat the yellow snow! Tgats my warning!

    61
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    Mute James Johnson
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    Dec 10th 2022, 5:11 PM

    Hopefully the Munster v Toulouse game tomorrow won’t be affected, Rumours abound here in limerick.
    Child of Prague is out

    52
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    Mute Gina Robinson
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    Dec 10th 2022, 6:33 PM

    Delighted to see we will have sleep

    39
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    Mute Madra
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    Dec 10th 2022, 3:59 PM

    Typo in the article. It’s sleet not sleep.

    37
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    Mute Daftbit Jelly
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    Dec 10th 2022, 10:45 PM

    @Madra: On your bike pedant.

    7
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    Mute Dougz
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    Dec 10th 2022, 5:47 PM

    Orange warning sounds warmer than yellow warning! Get in! Toasty

    42
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    Mute Frank Carty
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    Dec 10th 2022, 5:47 PM

    The map shows temps as 0 and -0

    35
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    Mute Daftbit Jelly
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    Dec 10th 2022, 10:10 PM

    I’m bored with the weather stuff. Can’t we have more articles about racists taking over East Wall protests or some stuff ridiculing Enoch whatshisname.

    34
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    Mute Jack Creegan
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    Dec 10th 2022, 10:27 PM

    I,m really enjoying this global warming. Can’t wait for net zero 2050.

    15
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    Mute Daftbit Jelly
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    Dec 10th 2022, 10:44 PM

    It’s cold it’s winter. I think I have it in me to to be a columnist but feel I would have to avoid being succinct.

    11
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