For the first time ever, there were no properties available anywhere in Ireland for people renting under the standard HAP rate last month and just 35 properties catering for those eligible for an enhanced rate under the scheme, the latest ‘Locked Out of the Market’ report by the Simon Communities reveals. The grim figure represents the lowest number of properties available under the Housing Assistance Plan (HAP) scheme ever reported in the housing charity’s 27 ‘Locked Out of the Market’ reports conducted every quarter. It also shows a decrease of 40pc on the 657 properties that were available to rent in June and a 61.5pc decrease in the 1,017 properties available to rent in September 2021. Read MoreThe majority of available units (65.7pc) were located in Dublin where the enhanced or discretionary HAP rate allows for an additional rental allowance of 50pc on the standard rate. There were also only 13 properties available for people with one child on the enhanced scheme and 11 for those with two children.

Source: Irish Independent October 17, 2022 04:37 UTC