The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a social housing support under the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014. In order to be eligible for HAP support, a household must first qualify for social housing support through the relevant local authority, in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended.
Once a household is deemed eligible for social housing support, it is a matter for the local authority to examine the suite of social housing supports available, including the HAP scheme, to determine the most appropriate form of social housing support for that household in the administrative area of that local authority.