Just 20 Homes Available Within HAP Limits Nationwide

Thursday, 6 August 2026 08:35

By Tara Flanagan

Simon Communities report finds 17 were in Dublin, with Kildare the only area outside the capital to have any properties available.

A new analysis by the Simon Communities of Ireland has found there were no homes available to rent within Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) limits in nine of the 16 areas it surveyed in June.

Across all 16 locations, just 20 properties met HAP rent thresholds. Of those, 17 were in Dublin, while Kildare was the only area outside the capital with any properties available, with just three homes.

HAP is a social housing support where local authorities pay rent directly to landlords, while tenants make an income-based contribution. To qualify, the rent must fall within the HAP limits set for the household size and local authority area.

The areas where no properties were available within HAP limits were Athlone, Cork City Suburbs, Galway City Centre, Galway City Suburbs, Leitrim, Limerick City Centre, Limerick City Suburbs, Portlaoise and Waterford City Centre.

The findings are contained in the charity's latest Locked Out of the Market report, which found that 85 per cent of all properties available within HAP limits were located across the three Dublin study areas.

Ber Grogan, Executive Director of the Simon Communities of Ireland, said the organisation has been highlighting the issue for more than a decade; "The Simon Communities of Ireland has published the Locked Out of the Market report for over ten years, and our message has remained the same – the HAP system needs reform. HAP is not working. People are still locked out of the market. We see and hear this on the ground every single day, across the country. People are being discriminated against. There is one short-term solution that would make an immediate difference – increase the HAP limits."