Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 March 2022
356. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of single-person applicants for properties under the HAP scheme since 2015; the average waiting list for single-person applicants for properties under the HAP scheme since 2015; and the average tenancy duration for single-person applicants for properties under the HAP scheme since 2015, in tabular form. [11303/22]
View answerThe Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a flexible and immediate form of social housing support for people with a long-term housing need. Any household assessed by their local authority as eligible for social housing is immediately eligible for HAP.
Under HAP, a tenant sources their own accommodation in the private rented market. The tenancy agreement is between the tenant and the landlord and is governed by the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, as amended. HAP supported tenancies are afforded the same protections as all private rented tenancies. On entering HAP, the tenant is required to stay in the same property for at least two years.
The table below shows the number of households who were in receipt of HAP support from 2017 to Q3 2021 and the number of single occupancy tenancies. The figures for single occupancy tenancies for 2015 and 2016 are not available.
|
Year |
Total Active HAP Tenancies supported at end of year |
Number of single households |
% of single households |
|
2017 |
31,228 |
7,834 |
25% |
|
2018 |
43,443 |
10,253 |
24% |
|
2019 |
52,529 |
11,944 |
23% |
|
2020 |
59,821 |
13,975 |
23% |
|
Q3 2021 |
62,337 |
15,093 |
24% |
