The Simon Communities of Ireland’s quarterly Locked Out of the Market report, from March 2025, shows that just 41 properties were available to rent within the discretionary rate of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Scheme. This is a decrease of five properties (-11%) since December 2024.
The report found 1,119 properties were available to rent at any price within the 16 areas surveyed over the three dates surveyed (March 2025). This is a 9% reduction from the 1,123 properties available in the December 2024 Locked Out report.
HAP Properties
There were no properties available in 10 of the 16 areas – Athlone, Cork City Centre, Cork City Suburbs, Galway City Centre, Co. Leitrim, Limerick City Suburbs, Limerick City Centre, Sligo Town, Portlaoise, and Waterford City Centre. This lack of availability was across all household categories within standard or discretionary HAP limits. Discretionary HAP limits includes ‘homeless HAP’, the increased rate of HAP for people experiencing homelessness.
As seen in many previous Locked Out of the Market reports, the supply of properties within HAP limits are predominantly in Dublin. 31 of the total 41 HAP properties were found in Dublin. In Dublin, the discretionary rate allows up to an additional 50% on the standard rate; this is limited to 35% elsewhere in the country. Just three of the 13 study areas outside of Dublin had properties available to rent within HAP limits. These included Dundalk (three properties), Galway City Suburbs (one property), and Kildare (five properties).
Lowest Number of Properties
Sligo Town and Portlaoise had the lowest number of properties available to rent, with just five and two properties available in each area. 12 of the 16 study areas saw a reduction in the number of properties available to rent. These include Athlone (one property), Dublin City North (11 properties), Dublin City South (65 properties), Dublin City Centre (12 properties), Dundalk (six properties), Galway City Centre (four properties), Kildare (16 properties), Co. Leitrim (one property), Limerick City Suburbs (five properties), Limerick City Centre (one property), Portlaoise (one property), and Waterford City Centre (four properties).
In two of the 16 study areas, the number of properties available to rent at any price remained unchanged from the December 2024 report. These included Cork City Centre and Galway City Suburbs. Two of the 16 study areas saw an increase in the number of properties available to rent. These included Cork City Suburbs (12 properties) and Sligo Town (one property).
Studio Apartments
Ber Grogan, Executive Director at the Simon Communities of Ireland, said:
With most of the properties concentrated in Dublin, the vast majority of the country remains effectively locked out of the rental market. In 10 of the 16 areas surveyed, there were no properties available within HAP limits at all. That is not a housing system that’s working for those most in need.
Outside of Dublin, HAP tenants face an uphill struggle with little to no access to suitable or affordable homes, with discretionary limits proving insufficient to meet current rental prices. This leaves families and individuals with impossible choices: remain in emergency accommodation, face prolonged experiences of homelessness, or take on unaffordable rents in an unstable private rental market.
We urgently need increased supply of affordable and secure housing. Targeted action is required now, to prevent further homelessness and ensure people can access and sustain a home. It beggars belief to think that Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) could be scrapped at the end of this year. We’re asking the Minister to extend this legislation for at least one year to give people some certainty while alternatives are being discussed.”
Single Person / Couple
There were three properties available to single person/couple households through a standard HAP rate. All three properties were in Dublin City North. There were an additional eight properties available for single person/couple households within discretionary HAP limits. These were in Dublin City North (5 properties), Dublin City South (1 property), Galway City Suburbs (1 property), and Kildare (1 property).
“Oh there’s no way you’d find a property within the HAP limits. HAP for a one-bed, it’s not really possible. Even being on Homeless HAP, the higher threshold, it’s still impossible to find places” – Tadgh*, Cork Simon service user.
*Name changed
Couples/Parent with One Child
There were no properties available to couple/one parent households with one child through a standard HAP rate. There were 16 properties available through discretionary HAP rates. Four properties were in Dublin City North, eight properties were in Dublin City South, two properties were in Dublin City Centre, one property was in Dundalk, and one property was in Kildare.
Couple / Parent with Two Children
There was one property available to couple/one parent households with two children through a standard HAP rate. This property was in Dublin City Centre. There were 13 properties available through discretionary HAP rates, and an additional 16 that overlapped with properties available to families with one child. The 13 unique properties were in Dublin City North (four properties), Dublin City South (two properties), Dublin City Centre (one property), Dundalk (three properties), and Galway City Centre (three properties).
