Simon Community report confirms HAP collapse
Simon Community report confirms HAP collapse - The Labour Party
- Government rental changes will push rents even higher
Labour housing spokesperson Conor Sheehan TD today slammed Government following the publication of the Simon Communities Locked Out of the Market report which found no properties available within standard Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) limits across 16 areas surveyed.
Deputy Conor Sheehan said:
“The latest Locked Out of the Market report lays bare the reality facing HAP tenants across the State. In December, across 16 areas surveyed, there was not a single property available to rent within standard HAP limits. Not one. Out of 929 properties advertised over three days, just 31 fell within any HAP limits at all, and every one of those relied on higher discretionary rates. That represents just 3 percent of available homes. This is not a marginal problem or a temporary blip. It shows a rental system that has stopped working for people on low and middle incomes.
“The Simon Communities are clear about what this means. Households who rely on HAP, and who must source their own accommodation in the private market, simply cannot find a home. The result is families stuck in emergency accommodation, people sofa surfing, and workers forced to leave their communities because they cannot secure a place to live.
“What makes this even more stark is the timing. These figures come just after Government forced through changes to the rental sector in the Dáil last night. At a moment when renters already face record rents, limited supply and total insecurity, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil chose to press ahead with measures that will drive rents higher. The bottom line is simple. Renters trapped in Ireland’s dysfunctional housing market will pay the price for what this Government has changed.
“Everything this Government has touched on housing has created more stress, more insecurity and more uncertainty. Rents have increased by more than 100 percent over the past decade and by almost 50 percent since Covid alone. Every new report tells the same story. The market is broken and the Government refuses to fix it.
“This is not inevitable. It is the direct result of political choices. Labour has consistently warned that weakening rent controls, failing to build public housing at scale and outsourcing housing support to the private market would leave people locked out. That is exactly what we are seeing now. A system where HAP exists on paper but fails in practice is not a safety net. It is a false promise.
“Renters do not need another set of changes that push costs higher. Rents need to come down and not rise even higher. Government must reverse course. Until that happens, reports like this will keep landing and more people will be locked out of a home.”