‘HAP has failed’: Another year, still no HAP properties in Leitrim
Leitrim councillor calls for more funding for the County Council to build social housing as HAP scheme fails to provide options in the county
There were no properties available to rent within the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) limits in Leitrim in June, according to a new report from the Simon Community.
The charity’s latest Locked Out of the Market report found that just 20 properties nationwide were available to rent within HAP price limits, with none located outside Dublin and Kildare. The findings continue a longer trend identified by the Simon Community, with no properties available within HAP limits recorded in Leitrim during its 2025 surveys.
Under the HAP scheme, recipients must source their own accommodation in the private rental market, with rents required to fall within maximum price limits. Those limits have long been criticised for failing to reflect market rents.
For example, the highest HAP rate in Leitrim would require a couple or an adult with three children to find accommodation costing €500 or less per month to qualify.
Meanwhile, the average rent in Leitrim across all tenancy types in 2025 was €849, according to the Residential Tenancies Board.
At the time of writing, seven properties were advertised for rent in Leitrim on the property website Daft.ie, with the cheapest listed at €800 per month.
The HAP scheme was introduced in 2014 to help people with housing needs by subsidising rent payments through local authorities.
“The problem here is that what are introduced as stopgap measures seem to go on forever and ever,” said Leitrim Councillor Padraig Fallon.
He said there needs to be a long-term solution and called on the Government to fund county councils to build social housing.
“I believe that Leitrim County Council would build the houses if they were funded,” he said.
The June 2026 edition of the Locked Out of the Market report found that seven of the 16 study areas, including Leitrim, recorded a reduction in the number of properties available to rent within HAP limits.
Other study areas recorded increases, including Cork City Centre, Dublin City South, Dublin City Centre, Dundalk, Galway City Suburbs, Galway City Centre, Kildare and Portlaoise.
There was no change in the number of properties available in Sligo Town.
According to the study, properties available within HAP limits accounted for 2% of all properties examined, down from an average of 3% in 2024 and 2025.