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Saturday 1 April 2023 Dublin: 9°C

# Housing Assistance Payment

This week
26th March 2023 - 1st April 2023
# Housing Crisis
Record low number of properties available for people accessing HAP
Only 29 properties were available to rent through the Housing Assistance Payment over the last month.
Last month
March 2023
# High Court
Family challenges court's finding that Cork hotel did not discriminate against them
The family claimed that despite having booked a three night stay they were denied access to the hotel.
This year
2023
# Housing Assistance Payment
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.
Last year
2022
# Housing
HAP discretion rate changes for the first time in 6 years, increasing to 35%
Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien says he will be expanding the couple’s rate to single people.
All time
# Housing Assistance Payment
Dublin Lord Mayor to tell Housing Minister that HAP scheme should include a deposit for tenants
Alison Gilliland said funding an initial deposit could be key to keeping many people out of homeless services.
# hap
Report finds 79% drop in number of affordable rental properties available in just three months
The Simon Communities of Ireland is warning that the lack of availability will cause homeless rates to increase.
# Threshold
HAP tenants struggling to buy food after paying rent top-ups to landlords, committee hears
There are currently 100,000 tenancies subsidised by the State, which is a third of all tenancies in the rental market.
# locked out
Just 5.5% of rental housing is within standard HAP limits, according to new report
There is a notable shortage of one-bedroom housing for single people and couples, the Simon Communities said.
# Annual Report
Housing benefit recipients face 'systemic discrimination', Irish human rights body says
The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission launched it’s 2018 annual report today.
# Explainer
Here's why tenants can take discrimination cases against landlords at the Workplace Relations Commission
The WRC provides advice on workplace issues to employers and to employees.
# Housing
Just 8% of rental properties are available in Ireland within rent support limits
That’s according to a study conducted by the Simon Communities of Ireland.
# crisis
Reliance on government support by renters likely to increase after Brexit
The amount of money the State pays in Hap will also increase if Brexit results in further rent hikes in the capital.
# Housing Assistance Payment
Tenant who took landlord to Workplace Relations Commission over refusal to accept HAP awarded €7k
The complainant, a long-term tenant of the landlord, brought the case after claiming she has been discriminated against by him over his refusal to accept the scheme.
# incentivise
Local authorities offering letting agents €500 fee to house tenants under Hap scheme
It has been well documented that Hap recipients can find it difficult to source accommodation.
# moved out
'Humiliated, belittled, embarassed': Woman awarded €4.2k over Hap discrimination
It was found that the woman was discriminated against by the landlord and was awarded the equivalent of three months’ rent.
# Homelessness
Dublin City Council proposing to stop prioritising homeless families for housing lists
The council said it is doing so in order to encourage families to seek housing in the private rented sector.
# private rental sector
'A chronic over-reliance': 76% of social housing came from the private rental sector last year
Opposition politicians, housing experts and NGO officials have all criticised an overreliance on the private sector.
# rental supplements
Flat search: Not one property available to rent for a person on rent supplement
A Simon Communities study has found that the number of rental properties on the market has dropped significantly.
# housing assistance
Tenants awarded 'substantial compensation' for discrimination by landlord
They were awarded compensation ranging from €13,300 to €15,000.
# homelessness crisis
Locked out: Most people on housing benefits still can't afford to rent
The Simon Community study found that some 630 properties available to rent are beyond the reach of those on HAP.
# housing trouble
'I'm at the end of my rope': Mother with severely disabled child desperately trying to find somewhere to live
Tracy McGinnis has said it is impossible to find a place to live with the Housing Assistance Payment.
# unsecure tenancy
Pregnant mother of four soon to be homeless as landlord is selling home
Sarah and her husband Eamon have until June to try to find a new home for their family.
# sligo and drogheda
'There will be people lying in doorways and parks this Christmas': Homelessness in regional towns
There has been a 100% increase in the number of people registered as homeless in Co Louth in the last two years.
# Housing Crisis
Here's a breakdown of how many people get rent supplement - county by county
The number of recipients has dropped by 15,000 since 2012.