The number of homes available to rent under the State’s main social housing support scheme has fallen again by a quarter, according to new research.
The Simon Communities of Ireland (SCI) published its latest Locked Out of the Market report on Thursday. It surveyed the number of properties available to rent across 16 different areas over three days in September.
It found just 24 properties were available to rent within the discretionary rate of the Housing Assistance Payment (Hap) scheme, a decrease of eight properties, or 25 per cent, since June 2025.
The survey found 833 properties were available to rent at any price, a 26 per cent reduction from the 1,119 properties available in September 2024. Figures from the most recent report in June saw 978 properties available to rent.
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Sligo town and Co Leitrim had the lowest number of properties available, with just three and four available at any price in each area, respectively.
Ber Grogan, executive director at the Simon Communities of Ireland, said the findings show how “the rental sector continues to fail those reliant on social housing supports in the private rental sector”.
The Hap scheme is a social housing support paid by local authorities directly to landlords, with tenants then paying a rent contribution to the local authority.
Those approved for Hap must find a property on the private rental market that is within the Hap rent limits of their local authority.
Local authorities have the flexibility to go above the Hap rent limits by up to 35 per cent, if the tenant cannot find accommodation within the limits. This discretionary rate goes up to 50 per cent in Dublin under the Homeless Hap scheme.
Despite this flexibility, there were no properties available in 11 of the 16 areas surveyed – including Athlone, Cork city centre, Cork city suburbs, Galway city suburbs, Galway city centre, Co Leitrim, Limerick city suburbs, Limerick city centre, Sligo town, Portlaoise and Waterford city centre.
Some 21, or 88 per cent, of the 24 Hap properties available were found in Dublin.
Just two of the 13 survey areas outside Dublin had properties available to rent within Hap limits – Dundalk (one property) and Kildare (two properties).
Only one property was available through standard Hap limits in Dublin city south that was suitable for a single person or couple household.
Studio apartments were not included in the survey “due to the inherent inadequacy of studio apartments as long-term housing solutions”, the report stated.
However, it noted there were 22 studio apartments available within Hap limits during the study period, all of which were in Dublin. Only one of these properties was available within standard Hap limits.
Reacting to the findings, Ms Grogan said that without “an immediate uplift in line with market rents, the private rental sector will continue to be a main driver of people being forced into homelessness”.
“Unless developers and landlords are obligated to provide social and affordable homes, thousands will continue to experience the trauma of homelessness.”
