Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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370. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if consideration will be given to the housing assistance payment limit when a tenant finds accommodation that may be just outside the county boundary, for example, Clonee, Dublin 15 (details supplied). [12574/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme, tenants source their own accommodation in the private rented market. The accommodation sourced by tenants should be within the prescribed maximum HAP rent limits, which are based on household size and the rental market within the area concerned.

Guidelines on inter authority movement were issued to local authorities to facilitate the movement of HAP households from one local authority area to another in cases where a HAP tenant wishes to access rented accommodation, with HAP support, in another local authority area. Inter authority movement is, however, subject to certain conditions, such as the relevant Social Housing Income Eligibility Bands and confirmation that the applicant's income is below the threshold in the new local authority.

HAP tenants that avail of inter authority movement continue to be dealt with by their originating local authority. However, the rent limits applicable are those that apply in the local authority where the property is situated.

Each local authority has statutory discretion to agree to a HAP payment up to 20% above the prescribed maximum rent limit in circumstances where it is necessary, because of local rental market conditions, to secure appropriate accommodation for a household that requires it. It is a matter for the local authority to determine if the application of the flexibility is warranted on a case by case basis. Additional discretion of up to 50% above rent limits is available to assist in housing homeless households in the Dublin Region only.