Introduction
Locked Out of the Market is a snapshot study1 undertaken over three consecutive days in December 2019 (10th, 11th, and 12th)2. 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.ie3 for the following areas: Cork City Centre4, Cork City Suburbs, Dublin City Centre5, Dublin City North, Dublin City South, Galway City Centre6, Galway City suburbs, Limerick City Centre7, Limerick City suburbs, Portlaoise, North Kildare,8 Athlone, Sligo Town9, Dundalk, Co. Leitrim,10 and Waterford City Centre.11 This is the sixteenth 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.
