'Shocking': No houses available to rent in Waterford city with Housing Assistance Payment

There were no properties available for rent in Waterford city that are affordable using the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), according to a survey conducted by The Simon Community on Daft.ie in June. 

The last time the Simon Community found a Waterford city property that was affordable using HAP was in December 2024 - where just two properties were available. 

As of last Thursday, there were 21 properties available on the rental market in Waterford city on Daft.ie. 

Rory Hearne - The Social Democrats Spokesman for Housing - released a statement on the findings: “Shockingly, there were no HAP eligible properties in 11 of the 16 areas surveyed, including Cork city, Galway, Limerick, Sligo and Waterford.”

“Where exactly are people in these areas supposed to live? Of the 24 properties available within HAP limits, 21 were in Dublin.”

The TD went on to say: “There are almost 60,000 households relying on HAP to put a roof over their heads.”

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The Simon Community’s Locked Out of the Market report revealed: ““The number of properties available to rent at any price has also reduced over the same period. This report comes in the context of a private rental sector characterised by unaffordability, volatility, and an overall lack of supply.” 

HAP is a local authority payment done on tenants’ behalf to the landlord. The payment is conditional on rent limits and certain other terms and conditions. 

The tenant pays a weekly contribution towards the rent to the local authority. The rent contribution is means tested. HAP is designed for people on low incomes and / or who may be at risk of homelessness.