Just five homes available under HAP in Dundalk according to latest Simon report

There were no properties available to rent under a standard Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme in Dundalk, and just five 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 13, 14 and 15 March 2023, showed that there was an average of 12 properties available to rent in Dundalk during this period. The five properties available to rent under the discretionary HAP rate, is one less than the six in the previous study in December 2023.

The five properties that were affordable under the discretionary HAP rate, were for households with two children. Four of these were also affordable under the discretionary rates for a single child household, according to the report published on Thursday. 

There were no properties available within HAP rates for single people or couples and there were no properties available under a standard HAP rate. There were three one-bedroom properties available in Dundalk over the course of this study, ranging between €950 and €975. 

Rents for two-bedroom properties ranged from €1,100 and €1,263, and ranged from €1,400-€2,500 for three-bedroom properties. According to daft.ie, average rents in Co. Louth increased by 11.1% in the last year and now sit at €1,550.

The Locked Out of the Market 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 examines 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.

Looking at the results of the study overall, its shows that the number of properties available to rent decreased by 11.2% from 757 in December 2022 to 672 available to rent at any price within the 16 study areas in March 2023. 70.2% (472) of  properties available to rent were found in the Dublin areas examined (Dublin City Centre, Dublin City North and Dublin City South).

For the second time in the Locked Out series, there were no properties available within a standard HAP rate. September 2022’s Locked Out publication was the first report to find no properties within standard HAP rates. 

In total, 29 properties were affordable through discretionary HAP limits. This is a 29.3% decrease from the previous report and a 63.7% decrease from 80 available in March 2022. For comparison, 1,055 properties were available within HAP rates two years ago in March 2021.

Dundalk and Kildare were the only areas outside of Dublin to have properties affordable under discretionary HAP rates.