Only 1 Cork city property available under HAP

Only 73 properties were available to rent in the city centre and suburbs with just one available within Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) limits in June, while there are currently 517 people in emergency accommodation in Cork.

The latest Locked Out of the Market report from the Simon Community which was published this week is carried out on a quarterly basis and analyses the various rental properties available at a number of locations across the country.

It examines the experience of people on a low income and dependent on HAP to access housing in the private rental market. Speaking to the Cork Independent about the findings of the report, Paul Sheehan of Cork Simon Community said that properties available with HAP limits are crucial for people hoping to exit homelessness.

“The cost of renting is well beyond so many people’s reach, and HAP bridges the gap,” he said. “Without HAP, somebody who is in an emergency shelter hasn’t a hope of getting into the private rental sector. We would argue that even with HAP, they don’t have much chance of getting into it.”

With only a single property available in the city and suburbs within HAP limits, Paul said that the situation has been getting consistently worse over the past number of years. “The supply of private rental properties has been decreasing slowly but steadily. The average cost of a one-bedroom apartment is around €1,100-1,200 a month. If you are depending on HAP, it would barely cover half of that. You are effectively locked out of the market,” he said.

On a national level, the proportion of HAP properties in relation to the general market also remains very low.

According to the report, just 5.4% of all properties available to rent examined in this study, are available within a HAP rate. For comparison, in 2021, on average, 27% of all properties examined in the Locked Out of the Market series were available within a HAP rate.

Asked about whether landlords are turning away from the HAP scheme and those eligible for it, Paul had this to say. “There’s a certain amount of paperwork involved with HAP. For many landlords, it’s much easier if someone has a deposit in their back pocket and their first month’s rent. It takes a lot of the grief out of it.”

However, for the people in emergency shelters hoping to find a rental property, their options are even further restricted when there are no HAP options are available to them.

“Your routes out are very limited,” he said.

“The private rental market is pretty much closed off to you and you will be waiting a very long time to secure social housing. That has an impact on an individual. You can see hope fading very quickly,” he added.