Housing assistance payments vastly different, yet houses could be a stone’s throw away
Gulf between County Kerry and Cork’s housing assistance payments “frightening” says councillor
A Kerry councillor has urged the government to end the disparity in housing assistance payments between County Kerry and Cork.
Councillor Maura Healy-Rae called the difference “frightening”, with some rent limits being at odds of nearly €400 per month.
The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme provides social housing support for people on low incomes with a long-term housing need.
To be eligible for the payment, the tenant’s social housing rent must be below a monthly threshold which is defined by the council area.
For example, a couple with one child in County Cork have a rent threshold of €900, while in Kerry the same family are limited to properties with rent under €525.
In shared accommodation the differences between the counties are not as vast, but still significant – one adult in Kerry is capped at €200 per month while in County Cork the max is €300.
Cllr Healy-Rae said: “I think there needs to be some regularisation to ensure fairness because many, many people, even though houses for rent are very few and scarce, are trying to find them and when they can they are getting much less rent in HAP.
“We’re not on the same playing field, or we’re not being treated in a manner that would reflect what is happening in the market.”
HAP was originally rolled out in 2017 and quickly saw assisted tenancies established throughout the country.
However, rent limit rates haven’t been adjusted since, and Cllr Healy-Rae believes this need to change.
The latest Daft.ie rental report showed that rents in Kerry had risen more than 70 per cent since the pandemic.
Rent price increases in Kerry have also consistently outpaced Cork in the last five years, being nearly 3 per cent higher in 2024.
Cllr Healy-Rae believes the gulf between HAP payments, delineated by the Cork-Kerry border, is an absurd situation.
“We’re talking about places which are very much a stone’s throw and could be getting far more just because you’re from a different county. It does not make sense,” said Cllr Healy-Rae.
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