Over 70,000 HAP & RAS Tenancies Underscores Government’s Social Housing’s Dependency on Private Landlords

On foot of Parliamentary Question responses from the Housing Minister, Aontú Leader & Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín has pointed out that the now more than 70,000 HAP & RAS tenancies in Ireland. This underscore that the Housing Crisis in Ireland and the Government’s dependency on the Private Rental sector to provide Social Housing.

An Teachta Tóibín:

“What we are seeing in Ireland is Government rhetoric and families reality going in the opposite direction. The figure of 70,000 families in receipt of HAP and RAS shows two things. Firstly the massive numbers of families unable to get onto the housing ladder or afford current rents. Secondly the figure shows that wholesale dependency of government policy on the private rental sector for social housing provision. Figures show that at the end of 2020, there were over 59,000 HAP Tenancies in Ireland and more than 11,000 RAS Tenancies. This goes without factoring in the tens of thousands unable to move out from home, or the more than 8,000 people in homeless”.

“The Housing Market was purposefully rigged to the benefit of Vulture Funds and International Investment funds. By providing massive tax advantages to these funds the government are creating a tenant class the likes that has not been seen since the 19th Century. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are turning back the clock to an age when the Irish people could only be tenants in their own land. The minor adjustment to Stamp Duty this week will not change the business model significantly and will not change behaviour.

As for the HAP & RAS schemes, they are under extreme pressure given the crisis in Housing. One constituent I spoke to who was eligible for HAP was forced to move across the country far away from family and friends, because he couldn’t afford any property in his hometown of Navan where he had lived in his entire life. People are forced to move west surfing a wave of affordability as rents increase. This is damaging communities and forcing children to repeatedly move schools”.

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