HAP limits are currently not meeting what it takes to actually rent a house in Ireland, the Simon Communities have said. 

Their latest Locked Out of the Market survey, the organisation found only 3.5% of rental properties across the country were available to Housing Assistance Payment recipients.

It also concluded that the HAP is not sufficient to cover rent in Cork or Limerick cities. 

Executive Director at the Simon Communities Ber Grogan said the HAP system needs to be overhauled. 

“If the Government is going to rely on the private rental market to provide social housing through social housing support, then they need to make sure there are properties available and that the HAP limits are meeting what the market rent is,” she said. 

New houses under construction. Picture by: PA Archive/PA Images. 

The report revealed that out of 1,119 properties in 16 areas across the country, only 41 were available for those on the Housing Assistance Payment scheme - a drop of  11% since December. 

Ms Grogan said many areas of the country are out of reach for HAP renters. 

“31 of the 41 properties that were available through HAP were in Dublin,” she said. 

“And in 10 of the 16 study areas, there were no properties available to rent through HAP and that was Athlone, some of Cork city centre and suburbs, Galway, Leitrim, Limerick, Sligo Town, Waterford city centre, Portlaoise.”

According to the CSO, average house prices rose 8% in Ireland between February 2024 and February 2025. 

Main image: House keys. Picture by: PA Archive/PA Images