Private landlords being 'forced out of the market' by unpaid HAP rents - Dundalk Cllr
Fine Gael councillor Robert Nash said some HAP tenants are leaving tenancies with arrears of two or three months.
A Dundalk councillor has said private landlords are being forced out of the market due to unpaid rents by HAP tenants.
The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a form of social housing support provided by local authorities.
Fine Gael councillor Robert Nash told the June meeting of the Dundalk Municipal District that “a lot of tenants” who have been allocated social housing have stopped paying their rent differential.
He said private landlords are being left with rent bills “for two or three months”.
“Before they get their accommodation they stop paying their HAP differential to the private landlords so a lot of private landlords are being left with rent bills for two or three months and there’s no mechanism for landlords to get that money back.”
“It has forced landlords out of the market,” he said.
Cllr Nash called on Louth County Council to ensure HAP payments from tenants who are allocated social housing are up to date.
A spokesperson for Louth County Council told the meeting that some tenants “are in rent arrears with HAP” and “It is something that we are conscious of”.
However, he confirmed that deposits paid by the tenants to landlords can be used “to offset any outstanding rents”.
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