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THE HOUSING ASSISTANCE Payment (HAP) discretion rate is to rise to 35% from next month, Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien has announced today.
The change means that local authorities can now pay up to 35% more than the current set HAP rates – which differs between local authorities.
Speaking at this morning’s FEANSTA conference, he also said he would be expanding the couple’s rate to single people.
This will apply to new HAP tenancies from next month.
The Journal reported last week that that the report on rising the HAP limits was due to be published shortly amid growing pressure on the government to get a handle on the increasing homeless numbers.
HAP is a form of social housing support for people who have a long-term housing need and is administered by the local authorities, who pay the landlords directly.
The rent being charged for the accommodation must be within the limits for the household type set in each local authority area.
Up until now, flexibility of up to 20% could be provided currently on a case-by-case basis, and 50% in Dublin.
The 20% rate will now increase to 35%. This is the first rate change since 2016.
In the midst of an ever-worsening housing crisis, charities and those in opposition have long called for the HAP limits to be increased, with the Taoiseach also telling the Dáil that he is in favour of raising the limit.
The Housing Agency carried out an analysis on behalf of the Department of Housing before Christmas on the HAP discretion level which is available to local authorities.
That analysis and recommendations have now been presented to the minister. It is understood the minister is now engaging with the Department of Finance to make the change operational shortly.
Announcing his intention to make changes to the HAP discretion limits the minister said:
“I am working with my government colleagues to roll out an increase in the HAP discretion rate to 35% and expanding the couple’s rate to single persons.
“This will secure and expand more tenancies and is something I know many Irish delegates here today have been seeking.
“Ultimately, I want us to get to a place where we are decreasing our reliance on market subsidies and we will do that through significantly scaling up our social housing supply. Housing for all sets us on a pathway to delivering 90,000 social homes between now and the end of 2030.”
The conference today, titled ’Towards a Vision for Ending Homelessness’ was attended by 300 groups.
The latest Department of Housing homeless figures show that the number of people who were homeless nationwide in the last week of April was 10,049.
This represents a rise of 224 from the 9,825 homeless in March.
Labour housing spokesperson Rebecca Moynihan has welcomed the announcement of changes to the scheme, stating that people are struggling and renters in particular are experiencing the hard end of the increased cost of living.
“Rents have soared over the last five years so the announcement of a change to the HAP scheme is hugely welcome. Hard pressed families will be relieved with this news and it is particularly welcome to see attention given to the over 400,000 people who live alone in Ireland.
“Single people have been particularly impacted by the housing policy failure and this is a welcome break for them,” she said.
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What about workers paying rent? What’s the allowance for them? A tax credit has to be provided !!!!!! . The workers are the ones paying for the increased hap payment in their tax payments !!!
@Dublin sunrise: Plenty of workers on HAP, myself included. The income limit is over €30000. But you just had to get your shot at poor people in didn’t you?
@Dublin sunrise: that and possibly a reintroduction of mortgage interest relief to make mortgages a bit easier to pay when the ECB will up the interest rates.
@Keith O’Reilly: by workers i mean workers – that would include you too .
@Dublin sunrise: people who work get HAP, that’s how bad the rental costs are, the gov more money to those huge property companies to house our own working people, they must really be laughing at us.
@Keith O’Reilly: he said workers paying rent. I was one of those and he’s right, there’s never any help for those renters.
@Keith O’Reilly: The limits are actually even greater than that. Dublin for example is €35,000 net, not even gross, so roughly around €45,000.
I sure as hell don’t know many people my age above that, but not many know they’re entitled to it and landlords try to wiggle out of it.
People in these comments love pushing their little narrative that it’s just a load of spongers who don’t want to work getting it etc. Egg on their face when some of them realise they’re entitled to it after shouting ‘BUT WHAT ABOUT US WORKERS’
@Megan Elizabeth FW: I haven’t seen any of the comments there suggesting that it’s just a load of spongers getting hap….I must have missed something
@Laura Clayton: There have been many across comment sections on the Journal every time HAP features in an article. Many showing their ignorance around who can actually get it so they can make a jibe at unemployed people.
@Dublin sunrise: You include him? Ok, so you asked what provisions are there for workers, ‘what about workers paying rent’, making it clear you thought HAP is only for people who don’t work. He answered you. HAP is there for workers too. Certainly not a perfect system and landlords trying to avoid it creates problems but it’s there.
Word of advice to anyone looking to get on it, letting agents/companies as shite as they can be won’t bother trying to refuse it. It’s individual landlords who tend to try not to get involved and rely on people not knowing that they’re not actually supposed to refuse it.
@Laura Clayton: There is if you earn less than €35,000 net, give or take. I agree that there should be more supports for everyone because the situation is diabolical but it’s simply untrue to say there’s nothing there for ‘workers paying rent’ as a whole.
@Laura Clayton: Workers on HAP are workers paying rent.
@FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: now don’t be silly, you know what he meant…. He meant the whole cost of rent, out of their own pockets, with no government help.
@Laura Clayton: Then the more accurate question would be ‘what about workers paying rent and earning above €45,000’.
His comment implies an ignorance about who can get HAP. Many people still don’t realise it’s for workers too and think it’s just related to the dole.
@Keith O’Reilly: 80 landlords a week are leaving the rental market and high numbers of immigrants arriving – so no matter how high the HAP is getting your hands on a property is going to be difficult. Also that the Co Co will buy the property with tenant in it will not encourage landlords as they will see this as first step to seizing their properties. !
@Dublin sunrise: The big issue is that if a council like DLRDCC pay up to 24000 a month to house someone on HAP, it means that the hardworking couple paying taxes cannot afford to rent….something really needs to change on this
@Linda Oreilly: Did you just skip past the whole conversation? Do people who earn under €45,000 not work hard, no?
@Megan Elizabeth FW: Of course they do, but this should not be allowed to continue where people earning above 45,000 are being priced out of the rental market by councils…..its not right…yes help people to find homes but not at the expense of others. But because this is affecting those not on HAP no one will do anything
Makes no difference, every place you email and mention the word hap you get no reply
@LFC_MAD94: Also with 35% discretion its still well below the market rate. So yeah still leaves people paying out under the table to landlords.
@LFC_MAD94: True. Landlords would rather deal with people who don’t use HAP than those who do and since it’s a landlords market then good luck to you if you are trying to get a HAP tenancy
@Carm(Orange Vampire): I’m entitled to HAP but afraid to ask for it because I don’t want to be given notice and end up homeless.
Words fail me. This is the fffg master plan?…. seriously. Its just so sad that this is what they have brought us to.
Not going to make any difference. Still nothing available even if 35% is added. That and landlords refusing to accept HAP tenants.
@Jane Alford: Correct and right. If you’re lucky enough to find a place you’ll still be paying out under the table to the landlord to meet the actual rent cost.
@FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: but hold on, I thought “workers on hap are workers paying rent”? If you’re working, what’s the issue with having to contribute to your own rent cost?
NEW HAP tenancies? So all those on existing HAP tenancies paying large top-ups can just suffer, is it? Typical.
@Felicity Rawson: Yep, they know the majority of people on HAP are having to pay top-ups to landlords but they pretend it doesn’t exist.
The majority on HAP are single people & single people with children. The is a serious issue that dates backs 50yrs or so. So many council houses that the parents are ling dead and the grown up child now in 40s, 50 etc, live in 3 bedroom houses and paying very little rent. They should be moved to 1 beds and keep the 3 bed for familes. We have thousands of houses like that.
@Sean: yes totally. The council houses are bought – they should not be available for purchase. They should always be available to rent ( on hap or reduced rent ) for those in need.
Is it just me, or do does it not seem odd that ordinary working class people that need hap like myself who has 2yr old cant get it cos ur x wont sign a piece of paper, so therefore i rent a room in house for 750 and as result every wkd i have to visit my daughter in her place. So for the dads that wanna be a da even though they split from there partner. Its a nightmare im a tourist in my daughters life
About time
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