Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a new social housing support. HAP will replace Rent Supplement for those with a long term housing need.
Please heed the following advice regarding HAP tenancies:
- If a HAP tenant does not experience any change in financial circumstances as a result of the steps being taken to combat the spread of COVID-19, there should be no change to the operation of the scheme - HAP payments will continue to be made to the landlord and the tenant’s differential rent will continue to be collected.
- If a HAP tenant does experience a change in financial circumstances on foot of COVID-19, those tenants should contact the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection and apply for the relevant supports.
- If you are applying for a discretion payment in respect of your monthly payment to the landlord you will also need to complete a rent review form.
- The local authority can only consider the discretionary payment if the L.A are satisfied that we have all the tenants up to date income details.
- Please send in proof of a change in financial circumstances via email to customerservices@limerick.ie. We ask that documentation received from DEASP to be scanned / photographed and emailed to your local authority.
- The possibility of local authority staffing levels being reduced may lead to delays in rent amounts being amended, but this won’t affect the HAP payment to landlords.
- Differential rent arrears that accumulate following the submission of DEASP documentation during the COVID-19 measures will be re-assessed and rectified, as appropriate, by local authorities in due course - this will not affect HAP payments to landlords.
The Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government recognises the additional pressures facing both landlords and tenants in relation to the Covid-19 crisis and is working with local authorities and the HAP Shared Services Centre to ensure the continuation of HAP tenancies during this period.
Am I eligible to apply?
How it works
Making a Payment
Contact Information
Am I eligible to apply?
Persons applying for HAP must be a qualified housing applicant(s) before they can apply. Click here for information on applying for council housing.
How it works
If you are eligible as an approved housing applicant, you must find your own private rented accommodation (within specific rent caps). The Local Authority will pay the landlord directly and the tenant will pay a rent to the local authority based on the differential rent scheme. The rent will be based on your weekly household income and works in a similar way to the differential rents charged for local authority houses.
For more information please see the Tenant & Landlord documents in the supporting documents below.
Making a Payment
You can pay your HAP Rent online. Click here.
You will need your PIN & HAP Recipient ID to make a payment online.
* Please Note - HAP SSC are moving to a new web payment system in Jan 2021.
You will be required to register your email and a password as part of the new web payments system.
In future, when using the new application to make on-line HAP payments you will use your HAP recipient Id and the password you created.
If you require confirmation of PIN/HAP Recipient ID please contact:
HAP Shared Services Centre
Phone: +353 61 556600
Please Note: You also can check your account balance/pay your HAP Rent by phone.
Phone: +353 61 529654
These facilities are available for use 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
Click here to download more information about Accessing the HAP Scheme.
Contact Information
HAP Shared Services Centre
Phone: +353 61 556600
Option 1 for tenants
Option 2 for landlords
HAP Limerick
HAP General Queries 061 556200
Please Note: HAP Limerick only deals with HAP queries relating to the area of Limerick city and county.
For general queries not relating to payments please contact your Local Authority.