Locked Out of the Market December 2021, The Gap Between HAP Limits and Market Rents.

Locked Out of the Market is a snapshot study1 undertaken every quarter over three consecutive days. This study was undertaken in December 2020 (14th, 15th and 16th). This report 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.ie2 for the following areas: Cork City Centre3, Cork City Suburbs, Dublin City Centre4, Dublin City North5, Dublin City South6, Galway City Centre7, Galway City suburbs, Limerick City Centre8, Limerick City suburbs, Portlaoise, Kildare (selected areas)9, Athlone, Sligo Town10, Dundalk, Co. Leitrim11, and Waterford City Centre.12 This is the eighteenth snapshot study of this kind and compares the findings to the previous studies providing indicative point-in-time data on the pressure in the private rental sector and reflects the lived experience of people trying to find a home to rent in this period. This study also examined availability of properties within discretionary HAP limits in each of the 16 areas. This rate is calculated as up to an additional 50% of the standard rate in Dublin, and up to an additional 20% of the standard rate elsewhere. The four household categories examined are as follows: