Tenants struggling to pay bills and but food because they have to pay top-ups to landlords
Almost half of the tenants spoke of struggling to pay the bills, buy groceries or cover childcare and school costs (Image: Getty)
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The situation was outlined by housing charity Threshold and the St Vincent de Paul as they asked for a review of HAP, the main rental support scheme, and other schemes relied on by 100,000 households.
Tenants receiving HAP must pay a contribution to their local authority which then pays what is meant to be the full market rent to the landlord.
But Threshold told the Oireachtas Housing Committee that many landlords charged rent higher than the HAP with tenants having to make up the shortfall
A discretionary HAP uplift payment was available where no property could be found at a rent the standard HAP would cover, and 36pc of HAP recipients were getting this.
Tenants receiving rent supplement payments are struggling to pay bills and buy food because they have to pay top-ups to landlords, a committee has heard.
People in receipt of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) are having to fork out between 100 to 500 euro each month to landlords as State payments fall short of rental costs.
Charities Threshold and St Vincent de Paul told the Oireachtas Housing Committee that almost half of tenants spoke of struggling to pay the bills, buy groceries or cover childcare and school costs.
HAP is a form of social housing support available to people living in the private rented sector and is one of four rental supplements.
There are around 59,000 households currently supported by the payment.
In an opening statement to the Housing Committee, housing charity Threshold said that many tenants are struggling to pay rent even with the support of HAP.
The organisation s Chief Executive, John-Mark McCafferty, told members that tenants are paying top-ups to their landlord to meet rent.
This is rent paid directly by the tenant to the landlord in addition to the rent the landlord receives from HAP.
He pointed out that many tenants are struggling to find a landlord to accept HAP.
Mr McCafferty said that Threshold had carried out research into this issue in 2019 and surveyed 116 tenants eligible for HAP.
HAP tenants struggling to buy food after paying rent top-ups to landlords, committee hears
There are currently 100,000 tenancies subsidised by the State, which is a third of all tenancies in the rental market. By Press Association Tuesday 15 Dec 2020, 8:11 PM Dec 15th 2020, 8:11 PM 31,872 Views 81 Comments
Threshold CEO John Mark McCafferty
Threshold CEO John Mark McCafferty
TENANTS RECEIVING RENT supplement payments are struggling to pay bills and buy food because they have to pay top-ups to landlords, a committee has heard.
People in receipt of the Housing Assistance Payment (Hap) are having to fork out between €100 to €500 each month to landlords as State payments fall short of rental costs.