Still no HAP houses in Leitrim as 'Stopgap' policy continues
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The report found only a dozen properties available across the country
New figures from the Simon Community show that once again there are no HAP properties to rent in Leitrim.
The report ‘Locked Out of the Market’ found only 12 properties in the country available to rent within the price limits of the HAP scheme during September.
The report shows a continuing trend in the county with no HAP properties becoming available in Leitrim in 2025, according to the Simon Community.
Under the scheme, HAP recipients must source their own accommodation in the Private market, the rent of which must be within price limits, which have long been criticised for falling outside the reality of market rents.
For instance, the highest HAP band in Leitrim would see a couple or an adult with three children needing to find accommodation for €500 or less to qualify.
Meanwhile, the average rent in Leitrim, across all tenancy types, in 2025 was €900, according to the regional tenancy board.
“The problem here is that what are introduced as stopgap measures seem to go on forever and ever,” said Leitrim Councillor Padraig Fallon told the Leitrim Observer after the last Simon Community HAP report in June.
He stresses there needs to be a long-term solution and has called on the Government to fund county councils to build social housing.
“I believe that Leitrim County Council would build the houses if they were funded,” he said.
In the June 2026 edition of the Locked Out of the Market Report, seven of the 16 study areas, including Leitrim, saw a reduction in the number of properties available to rent.
At the time of writing, only ten properties were available to rent in Leitrim on the rental site Daft. i.e., in the county, the cheapest of which is €800.
The HAP scheme was first introduced in 2014 and was aimed at helping those in need of housing by subsidising their rent through local county councils.
In the June 2026 edition of the Locked Out of the Market Report, seven of the 16 study areas, including Leitrim, saw a reduction in the number of properties available to rent.
Other areas increased the number of properties available to rent, including Cork City Centre, Dublin City South, Dublin City Centre, Dundalk, Galway City Suburbs, Galway City Centre, Kildare, and Portlaoise.
There was no change in the number of properties available in Sligo town.
According to the study, available HAP properties represent just 2% of the total properties examined in the study, which is lower than 2024 and 2025’s average of 3%.