Just six homes available under HAP in Dundalk according to Simon report

There were no properties available to rent under a standard Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme in Dundalk, and just six properties available to rent under the discretionary HAP rate, the latest Locked Out of the Market study undertaken by Simon Communities of Ireland has revealed.

The study, which was carried out over the 12, 13 and 14 December 2022, showed that there was an average of 11 properties available to rent in Dundalk during this period. The six properties that were affordable under the discretionary HAP rate, were for households with two children, according to the report published last Friday. 

One of these was also affordable under the discretionary rates for a single child household. Six properties is also double the amount of unique HAP properties that was reported in the previous study in September 2022.

The study also showed that there were no properties available within HAP rates for single people or couples.
Locked Out of the Market is a snapshot study undertaken every quarter over three consecutive days. The study tracks the number of properties advertised to rent within the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (DHPLG) Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) limits.

Details were gathered from Daft.ie from 16 areas across Ireland, including Dundalk. The study compares the findings to the previous studies providing indicative point-in-time data on the pressure in the private rental sector. It is said to reflect the lived experience of people trying to find a home to rent in this period.

The study also examined availability of properties within discretionary HAP limits, which is up to an additional 35% of the standard rate elsewhere. The four household categories examined in the study are as follows:

• Single person
• Couple
• Couple/One Parent and One Child
• Couple/One Parent and Two Children

The study counts one-bedroom units for single people and couples, two-bedroom units for couples/one parent and one child, and two bedrooms or more for couples/one parent with two children.

Other findings from the study of Dundalk showed that were two one-bedroom properties available in Dundalk over the course of the study, ranging between €1,050 and €1,250. Two two-bedroom properties were available, with monthly rents of €1,150 and €1,350, while rents ranged from €1,235-€2,700 for three-bedroom properties.

Looking at findings from the report overall, it found that 757 properties were available to rent at any price within the 16 areas over the three dates surveyed. This is nearly double the 392 available in the September Locked Out report, but down from the 1,349 available at the same time in December 2021 and down from 1,753 available pre-pandemic in December 2019. Dundalk and Kildare were the only areas outside of Dublin to have properties affordable under HAP rates.

Speaking to the Dundalk Democrat on the availability of HAP accommodation in Dundalk, Cathaoirleach of Dundalk Municipal District, Cllr Kevin Meenan, said that compared to the number of people who are looking for HAP accommodation, HAP properties are simply not there.

The Sinn Féin councillor explained that “working through our office [I see] there's a huge amount of people coming in on a daily basis, looking for private rented houses. We would have huge difficulty trying to source private rental accommodation, or help people [source it].

"You'd often have multiple people coming in looking at the same property. They never hear anything back, which I understand is due to the volume of people who are looking for them, they don't often hear back from landlords or from estate agents.”

Cllr Meenan continued: “I also believe as well, that the HAP inspections are probably having an impact.” He explains that landlords are “wary of the HAP inspections” because “if they go down the HAP route, they're normally landed with a bill in terms of bringing the house back to a standard, which to me would be better than my own house.”

“The standard is quite stringent. On that basis, landlords are opting to go down the non HAP route. I know they can't decline HAP but they can go down the route of not taking HAP. That seems to be the route a lot of them are going. So there does be properties there, but [it's] very very hard in terms of trying to secure one that is actually [accepting] HAP.”