'It’s grim': Concerns raised over lack of HAP properties in Cork city 

No properties were available to rent within a Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) budget in Cork city for the fourth quarter in a row, with a Cork Simon spokesperson saying that people are stuck in emergency accommodation because of this “grim” situation.

The Simon Community compile data for four ‘Locked Out of the Market’ reports every year — in March, June, September, and December — checking rental options on three days for each report.

The December 2024 report, published today, found 46 properties available to rent within HAP limits, but the supply was predominantly in Dublin, where 76% were located. 

There was one HAP property in Cork city’s suburbs, and none in Cork city.

Neither Cork city nor its suburbs had any HAP properties in the September or June reports, and Cork city also had no HAP properties in March, meaning that out of 12 days across 2024, no HAP properties were found in Cork city on any of them.

Paul Sheehan, from Cork Simon Community, told The Echo: “It’s grim, it really is. When you look at the lack of HAP properties, in context with the number of adults in emergency accommodation in Cork, it was 589 in November, which is the highest it’s ever been.”

“That’s the legacy of the last government, and it’s there for the incoming government to address.

“We’ve been calling for change as a matter of urgency for so long now.”

Mr Sheehan said that while programmes such as HAP sounded good on paper, they do not work without properties available.

“For a long time the problem has been the supply of housing, rental housing, and especially affordable housing: We don’t have any supply to talk of.

“While the HAP scheme is good, it’s social housing by another name.”

The December 2024 ‘Locked Out of the Market’ report also looks at the state of the rental market in general, and found 1,233 properties available to rent at any price across Ireland.

Nationally, this is a 10% increase from the September 2024 report, but 75% of the properties available to rent were again in Dublin. 

The Cork city suburbs were one of just two areas that saw a reduction in rental properties, with seven fewer properties available than in September 2024, while there was a very small increase in the number of properties available to rent in Cork city, with just one more property than in September 2024.

Mr Sheehan said: “It’s impacting every household now, pretty much everyone is feeling the cost of putting a roof over heads, and it’s increasing month after month.

“From our point of view in Cork Simon, most of the people we are single households, which is the fastest growing household type in the country. 

“They depend on the private rental sector or HAP to get out of emergency accommodation, and as long as there’s no supply, they can stay stuck in emergency accommodation long term.

“We’ve seen the supply of rental properties in general dwindle month after month over the last few years, while this report shows a small increase in the number of rental prop across state, here in Cork it decreased.

“There’s a small increase in Cork city but it’s one extra property – that’s not going to make any dent in the problem.”