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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.

JUST 5.5% OF rental housing stock across the country is within standard Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) limits, according to a new study by the Simon Communities of Ireland.

The report indicates there has been some improvement in the supply of affordable family accommodation in Dublin, where availability of rental property for families has increased since the previous Locked Out of the Market snapshot study in July/August 2019.

However, a notable shortage of one-bedroom housing for single people and couples was recorded in all study areas.

The latest Locked Out report found that just 97 out of 1,753 properties available to rent in 16 areas over a three-day period from 10 to 12 December 2019 on Daft.ie were affordable for those in receipt of standard government-assisted housing payments.

The report found that availability of rental properties increases to 796 properties (representing 45% of all rental properties available) when discretionary rates are included. However, just 16% (128) of these properties are available outside of Dublin city.

The HAP is a form of social housing support for people who have a long-term housing need and it is available in all local authority areas.

There were no properties available to rent within standard or discretionary HAP limits for a single person or couple across five study areas:

  • Limerick city centre
  • Waterford city centre
  • Portlaoise in Co Laois 
  • Galway city centre
  • Cork city suburbs

Just one or two properties were available for a single person or a couple in five study areas:

  • Limerick city suburbs
  • Sligo
  • Dundalk in Co Louth 
  • Cork city centre
  • Athlone in Co Westmeath

locked out 1 Locked Out of the Market XVI Locked Out of the Market XVI

The report notes that single people and couples remain disproportionately affected by affordable accommodation availability, with only six properties in total available to rent for single persons and 14 for couples within standard HAP limits.

When discretionary HAP payments are applied, 40 properties were available for single-person households.

Some welcome news in Dublin 

The snapshot study indicates some increases in availability of accommodation for HAP recipients, particularly in Dublin city, where the availability of accommodation within standard and Homeless HAP limits increased from 424 to 668 properties since the previous study in July/August 2019.

This rise was concentrated in properties for families. The HAP discretion rate in the Dublin region is 50%, compared to 20% outside Dublin.

Wayne Stanley, national spokesperson for the Simon Communities, said the results illustrate how the lack of affordable accommodation in the private rental market is prolonging the current housing crisis.

“It is incredibly difficult, particularly for single people, to move on from emergency accommodation and homeless services when looking for HAP accommodation, because all too often there is nowhere else to go.

“In cases where accommodation is found, people are often having to resort to ‘topping up’, undermining the sustainability of that move on,” Stanley said. 

He noted that of the almost 10,500 people living in emergency accommodation, 4,274 of are single or couples. He said these numbers have “risen drastically” since the Locked Out series of reports began in May 2015.

“Two factors have contributed to this situation above all else: an over-reliance on a private rental sector that is inaccessible to many, and insufficient levels of social housing supply.”

Stanley said the building rate of social housing is “not currently at the level that is required to address the number of people in emergency accommodation or on housing waiting lists”.

“For a sustainable long-term solution, there needs to be a significant and sustained increase in the supply of social and affordable housing across all tenure types nationwide,” he added.

TheJournal.ie has contacted the Department of Housing for comment on the report’s findings.

When speaking about the HAP scheme in the Dáil last month, Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy said it “plays a vital role in housing eligible families and individuals”.

Murphy said that at the end of September 2019, nearly 67,000 HAP tenancies had been set-up since the scheme commenced, of which there were more than 50,000 households actively in receipt of HAP support and over 29,000 separate landlords and agents providing accommodation to households supported by the scheme.

He stated that HAP “provides fast, flexible housing support to all eligible households in the area of their choice”.

“Individuals, who in the past were reluctant to avail of full time work as they would lose their Rent Supplement support, can now move to HAP and avail of full-time employment and retain their housing support, with an adjustment in their differential rent,” Murphy added.

Opposition parties have called for a rent freeze as prices have steadily increased in recent years – the average monthly rent is now over €1,200. This is despite Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ) laws being introduced in December 2016 by then-Housing Minister Simon Coveney in order to tackle spiralling rents.

Under the legislation, annual rent rises are capped at 4% in certain areas. RPZs are located in areas of the country where rents are highest and where households have the greatest difficulty finding affordable accommodation.

Note: Journal Media Ltd. has shareholders in common with Daft.ie publisher Distilled Media Group.

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42 Comments
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    Mute Fred Jensen
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    May 7th 2017, 8:10 PM

    Should have been put underground. Hopefully this will be the last large overground project in the city centre, and Metro North and other projects will all be put underground.

    234
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    Mute Dub_Right
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    May 7th 2017, 8:44 PM

    @Fred Jensen: Would rather have Dart underground from Westland row to Heuston, with a link up to the cross town Luas lines..

    53
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    Mute Brinster
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    May 7th 2017, 9:37 PM

    @Fred Jensen:

    Dawson St Luas is an utter, utter disgrace.

    Businesses there have had to put up with continuous disruption for FOUR years.

    The Empire State Building was built in 1 year and 45 days, over 80 years ago.

    It takes us 4 years to put down 300 metres of track on Dawson St. That an average of 20 centimetres of track per day.

    Disgrace.

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    Mute Dub_Right
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    May 7th 2017, 10:10 PM

    @Brinster: Dublin is a medieval city with many underground basements, streams, crypts/historically sensitive buildings which have to be very carefully managed to ensure foundations are not affected, and have to be carefully worked around by archaeologists and not some polish lad in a JCB..

    It’s not like in say London or German/European cities which were pretty much destroyed completely or heavily damaged in the war, and allowed city planners to build underground or overground rail from a blank canvas.

    59
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    Mute Ron Koeman
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    May 7th 2017, 10:13 PM

    @Brinster: absolute joke Dubai have the same system and put it round a whole city in half the time and there’s no accidents either

    34
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    Mute Dub_Right
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    May 7th 2017, 10:34 PM

    @Ron Koeman: Dubai = Massive blank canvas, all new buildings and roads in that city…They have 12 lane motorways through the city centre!
    Also Pre-Oil Dubai in the 1930′s and 40′s was full of shacks and small stone buildings.

    Not a fair comparison to Dublin, even though you may think so as they kinda sound the same, lol!

    54
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    Mute Mary Murphy
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    May 7th 2017, 11:48 PM

    @Fred Jensen: No doubt it will all be dug up again for a variety of reasons due to no joined up thinking……and in less than six years

    20
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    Mute Krystian Brzezowski
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    May 8th 2017, 7:38 AM

    @Dub_Right: really? Some Polish lad in JCB? What that supposed to mean? Anyway those medieval crypts basements etc. where filled prior to the construction, construction of tracks itself is taking huge amount of time. What is the excuse for taking so long on O’Connell street? Same crypts?

    16
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    Mute Brinster
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    May 8th 2017, 9:10 AM

    @Dub_Right:

    Four years! Four flippin years.

    And I wouldn’t mind if it was four years of continuous construction. I would n’t mind if it took four years for engineering/architectural reasons.

    But it didn’t.

    It has taken four whole years of continuous disruption because at no time (and I work round the corner) has there been more than 10 people working on site on any given day.

    Despite the fact that most of the street is dug up most of the time – most of the “works” are idle for literally months on end.

    15
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    Mute Grainne Abdulaziz
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    May 7th 2017, 8:10 PM

    I’ve bought two penis pumps from Moore Street establishments in the past year, both excellent quality. It’s a shame their businesses are being affected like this.

    160
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    Mute The Viking
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    May 7th 2017, 8:22 PM

    @Grainne Abdulaziz: Jazus Grainne.. Surprised to hear you have a penis. Then again i dont think you could enlarge the size of your dick ..

    59
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    Mute Paddy Downey
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    May 7th 2017, 8:35 PM

    I remember businesses in Harcourt Street complaining about the devastating effects the Lúas works were having on them back a few years. Nobody in authority cared then and nobody in authority cares now.

    124
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    Mute Jason Culligan
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    May 7th 2017, 8:41 PM

    @Paddy Downey: Why should they? Should all national infrastructure projects be cancelled if they inconvenience a few people?

    133
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    Mute Dub_Right
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    May 7th 2017, 8:48 PM

    @Paddy Downey: Copper Face Jacks was hit really bad by the lack of lads in the GAA jerseys… Oh wait…

    39
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    Mute Tony Stack
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    May 7th 2017, 8:41 PM

    And now they will make a fortune once it gets going , swings & roundabouts

    99
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    Mute HoneySmuggler617
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    May 7th 2017, 8:16 PM

    A bit late now considering there finished in a few months. No sympathy anyways

    72
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    Mute filthypete
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    May 7th 2017, 8:20 PM

    @HoneySmuggler617: poor attempt.

    27
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    Mute Fergal Doyle
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    May 8th 2017, 12:34 AM

    @HoneySmuggler617: Clown

    6
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    Mute Dub_Right
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    May 7th 2017, 8:33 PM

    “Really affecting my Deli business”… Cue all the lads from the Luas works outside coming in to buy a Chicken fillet roll, can of coke, crisps, packet of fags… Yea.. terrible for the business! lol!

    104
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    Mute Atlantean Irish
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    May 8th 2017, 12:51 AM

    But the works on Parnell street only got going in terms of them being an obstructive presence late last year. And vehicles can still travel down Parnell and Moore street, plus it is packed with people.

    Parnell and Moore street is packed mostly now with foreigners, both shoppers and shop owners, there is a muslim butchers in the back of a muslim grocery shop, not sure if still open.

    But the question arises, is the lack of custom to the Irish butcher due to the Luas or lack of customers due to different food habits of foreign customers or not eating non-halal meat or competition?

    32
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    Mute Paul
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    May 8th 2017, 1:04 AM

    @Atlantean Irish: keep that quiet, another half arsed job from the Journal.

    9
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    Mute Anne Honer
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    May 7th 2017, 9:53 PM

    Monday to Friday between Houston station and town it’s full of junkies attendi

    35
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    Mute Sandra Clifford
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    May 7th 2017, 9:12 PM

    It will be just another junkie ridden luas

    62
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    Mute Mary Murphy
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    May 7th 2017, 11:51 PM

    @Sandra Clifford: exactly eying up the windows on the houses they can visit in their own time and on our dime

    14
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    Mute Anne Honer
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    May 7th 2017, 9:53 PM

    Court it’s scary

    9
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    Mute Steve Tracey
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    May 8th 2017, 10:24 AM

    Not to do with effects onsses no it will because people cant cross roads or get on/off buxses conveniently/. Due to the fencing there is no way of getting on or off buses going north incl Airport from Fosters Place to just past the GPO. This also applies to taxis, very few gaps where the road can be crossed by pedestrians

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    Mute Marie Byrne
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    May 9th 2017, 12:33 AM

    To be honest I don’t come into town at all on principle because the parking charges are so high. I can pay for parking but choose not too. I can go to plenty of shopping centres with no parking or a minimum charge to get what I want I don’t want the stores to be hit but would seriously love the car parks who charge exorbitant rates to suffer they have well made their money – but not off me

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    Mute Said Babayev
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    May 8th 2017, 8:19 AM

    @Anne Honer: Is that the one in Texas?

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