3rd November 2026
The Simon Communities of Ireland’s (SCI) quarterly Locked Out of the Market report, shows that just 12 properties were available to rent within any of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Scheme limits in September.
The report found 1,361 properties were available to rent at any price within the 16 areas surveyed over the three dates surveyed in September. This is an increase of 58 properties (4%) since June 2026 and an increase of 528 properties (63%) since September 2025.
This is the third Locked Out of the Market report to be conducted under the new legislative framework (Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026) which came into effect on March 1st.
HAP Properties
11 of the 16 study areas had no properties available within HAP limits. These include Athlone, Cork City Centre, Cork City Suburbs, Limerick City Centre, Sligo Town, Portlaoise and Waterford City Centre.
Four of the 16 study areas saw a reduction in the number of HAP properties available since the June 2026 report. These include Dublin City North (eight properties), Dublin City South (one property), Dublin City Centre (one property) and Kildare (one property).
As seen in many previous Locked Out of the Market reports, the supply of properties within any HAP limits are predominantly in Dublin. Seven (58%) of the 12 HAP properties were found across the three Dublin study areas.
Only two of the 13 study areas outside of Dublin had properties available to rent within HAP limits – these areas were Dundalk (three properties) and Kildare (two properties). 11 of the 16 study areas had no properties available within HAP limits, 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.
In Dublin, the discretionary rate allows up to an additional 50% on the standard rate; this is limited to 35% elsewhere in the country.
Ber Grogan, Executive Director at the Simon Communities of Ireland, said:
“We had hoped that Budget 2027 would finally deliver the long-awaited increase to HAP limits, but once again, there has been no change.
Over the last ten years, rents have risen dramatically, becoming unaffordable for many households, while there’s been little change to HAP. As a result, people who rely on HAP are increasingly locked out of the private rental market, unable to secure a home they can afford despite having housing support in place. We see the impact of this every single day, across the country.
Increasing HAP limits would be an immediate, practical step the Government could take to help people access housing. It is time for the Government to listen, act and ensure HAP reflects the reality of today’s rental market, while addressing the wider problem of unaffordable rents.”
Dermot, a Mid West Simon service user, said:
“It’s never going to be enough. I don’t see myself ever moving into private rented.”
Lowest Number of Properties
Sligo Town had the lowest number of properties available to rent, with nine properties available across the three days. When compared with the June 2026 Locked Out of the Market Report, five of the 16 study areas saw a reduction in the number of properties available to rent. These include Dublin City North (40 properties), Dublin City South (47 properties), Galway City Centre (28 properties), Limerick City Centre (three properties), and Waterford City Centre (five properties).
Ten of the 16 study areas saw an increase in the number of properties available to rent. These included Athlone (seven properties), Cork City Centre (eight properties), Cork City Suburbs (27 properties), Dublin City Centre (89 properties), Dundalk (12 properties), Galway City Suburbs (two properties), Kildare (16 properties), Co. Leitrim (eight properties), Limerick City Suburbs (11 properties), and Portlaoise (one property). There was no change in the number of properties available in Sligo town.
Studio Apartments
For the purpose of this report, studio apartments are not included in the overall figure for HAP properties. However, we note there were 25 studio apartments available within HAP limits during the study period. Just three of these properties were available within standard HAP limits. 19 of these studio apartments were located in Dublin, one in Dundalk, three in Galway City Centre, and two in Kildare.
Single Person / Couple
There was one property available for single person/couple households within standard HAP limits, located in Dublin City South. There were nine properties suitable for single person/couple households within discretionary HAP limits, located in Dublin City North (one property), Dublin City South (three properties), Dublin City Centre (two properties), Dundalk (one property), and Kildare (two properties).
Couples/Parent with One Child
There were no properties available to couple/one parent households with one child through a standard HAP rate. There was one property available through discretionary HAP rates, located in Dundalk.
Couple / Parent with Two Children
There were no properties available to couple/one parent households with two children through a standard HAP rate. There was one unique property available through discretionary HAP rates, and an additional one property that overlapped with properties available to families with one child. The one unique property was located in Dundalk.
ENDS
For media enquiries contact: Aileen Gaskin – 086 166 2160 / communications@simoncommunity.com
