Local authorities will be allowed to increase housing assistance payments (HAP) by up to 35 per cent beyond the current cap, Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien has announced.
Currently, local authorities are allowed to use their discretion to increase HAP payments beyond the current threshold by up to 20 per cent. This is to allow for increases in rents which have put most rental properties out of the range of those who are on HAP payments.
Speaking on Friday morning Minister O'Brien said local authorities would now be able to pay up to 35% more than the current set HAP rates, which different between councils around the country. He also said he would be expanding the couple's rate to single people.
This will apply to new HAP tenancies from next month.
The minister said this would secure and expand more tenancies and prevent new entries to homelessness.
Minister O'Brien said he has been consistent in saying Ireland needs to decrease its reliance on market subsidies but that it will only do that through significantly scaling up the social housing supply.
He also confirmed that local authorities can now purchase homes where tenants in receipt of HAP are living and whose landlords are selling the property.
These people would otherwise be at risk of homelessness, Minister O'Brien added.
There are currently over 60,000 people across the country in receipt of HAP.
Minister O'Brien also told the conference organised by Feantsa (the European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless) that he hoped to bring forward legislative changes to strengthen tenants’ rights and tackle short-term lets. He plans to have the legislation passed by July.
