Housing Assistance Payment (HAP)

Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a form of social housing support provided by Cork County Council. HAP means that local authorities can provide housing assistance for households who qualify for social housing support, including many long-term rent supplement recipients.

Under HAP, local authorities will make a monthly payment to a landlord, subject to terms and conditions including rent limits, on a HAP tenant’s behalf. In return, the HAP tenant pays a weekly contribution towards the rent to the local authority. This ‘rent contribution’ is based on the household income. It is calculated in the same way as the rent paid by a tenant of a local authority owned property.

• HAP is a new form of housing support provided by local authorities for households who qualify for social housing support, including many long-term rent supplement recipients
• The Council makes the full rental payment to landlords subject to maximum limits per household size and tenants pay a weekly income based rent to the Council
• HAP recipients are responsible for sourcing their own accommodation in the private rented market
• HAP recipients can have access to other social housing supports offered by local authorities, such as standard social housing or housing provided by Approved Housing Bodies
• The aim of the scheme is to provide a more integrated system of housing supports to allow all social housing supports to be accessed through one body the local authority and to allow recipients to take up full-time employment and still keep their housing support

Further information can be found on the Housing Assistance Payment Information Leaflet (pdf).

Contact Details: HAP Unit, Housing Dept, Cork County Council, Floor 4, County Hall, Cork.
Tel: 021 4285079 Email: hap@corkcoco.ie or use our online Enquiry Form