Report exposes 'impossible search' facing renters in North Kildare
Cllr Rupert Heather (LAB) cited a recent HAP report, which found just 12 properties within HAP limits across 16 areas nationally
Labour’s councillor Rupert Heather in Celbridge has today called on Housing Minister James Browne to publish the long-awaited review of Housing Assistance Payment limits and increase housing supports urgently.
Cllr Heather's call follows the Simon Communities of Ireland’s latest “Locked Out of the Market” report.
The September survey found just 12 properties within HAP limits across 16 areas nationally, which Cllr Heather has said exposes “the impossible search” facing people who rely on housing support and raising serious concerns about access to affordable homes for renters in North Kildare.
Cllr Heather said: “The latest Simon Communities report should force Minister Browne to act. Just 12 properties across the 16 areas surveyed fell within HAP limits, even when discretionary increases counted. That figure has fallen from 20 in June. Eleven areas had no properties within the limits at all.
“These national findings expose a housing support system that bears little relation to the rental market. For people who need HAP, the basic question is whether that support can actually secure a home. An approval means very little if every available property costs more than the support allows.
“For households with children, the survey found no properties within standard HAP limits. Think about what that means for parents trying to keep their children settled in school, hold down a job and stay close to grandparents or childcare. They need stability, yet the search for an affordable home can pull them further from everything that keeps family life together.”
“People should have a fair chance to make a home. A housing crisis should not force them to choose between staying close to their support network and finding a roof they can afford. Nor should families have to reach the point of homelessness before the Minister takes their situation seriously.”
According to Cllr Heather, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael chose not to increase HAP limits in Budget 2027, despite repeated warnings.
The Minister, he stated, “cannot keep pointing people towards the private rental market while refusing to address whether they can afford anything in it.”
He added: “Labour’s Alternative Budget provided €65 million to phase in HAP limit increases of up to 15%. Raising those limits would offer practical help now. Alongside that, we need councils to build and deliver more publicly owned homes, so that fewer households must depend on private landlords for their housing needs.
“Minister Browne must publish the HAP review immediately, raise HAP limits to reflect actual rents and increase social housing income thresholds in line with rising living costs. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael must also fund councils to deliver the affordable homes our communities need. Families cannot wait for another report while their options disappear. The Minister has the evidence and the power to act. He must use it now.”