Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue to which I am replying on behalf of my colleague, Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy.

The housing assistance payment, HAP, is deemed to be a social housing support under the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014. As a long-term housing support, an assessment of housing need must first be completed in order for a household to qualify for HAP. The Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011 provide that subject to conditions, a housing authority shall deal with such an application within a period of 12 weeks. Local authorities will prioritise housing needs assessments for those in greatest need and average waiting times are significantly shorter than the statutory maximum in many areas. Once this process is complete and the housing need is confirmed, the household is eligible for HAP.

Under the HAP scheme, eligible households source their own accommodation in the private rented sector and the tenancy agreement is between the tenant and the landlord. The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 regulates the landlord-tenant relationship in the private rented sector and sets out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants. If a household moves into a property before their housing needs assessment has been carried out by the local authority they may not be eligible for support under the HAP scheme for the duration before a complete and valid application is submitted.

The HAP application form comes in two parts, section A to be completed by the applicant tenant and section B to be completed by the landlord or agent. An application for HAP will only be accepted by the local authority when both section A and section B are completed, signed and returned, along with the required supporting documentation. Any delay in tenants and landlords supplying this information, inaccuracies or missing information will impact on the processing time of the HAP application. The earliest date a HAP payment to the landlord will apply from is the date a complete and valid HAP application has been received by the local authority.

HAP application validation times within local authorities may vary. Once a HAP application has been received and confirmed as valid by the relevant local authority, it is entered on the system by the local authority and then submitted for processing and payment by the HAP shared service centre. Limerick City and County Council provide a highly effective transactional shared service on behalf of all HAP local authorities and manages all HAP related rental transactions for the tenant, local authority and landlord. On average, HAP applications are processed by the HAP Shared Services Centre within two working days of receipt. Any rental payment arising for a given month will then be made to a landlord on the last Wednesday of that month.

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