'Single' was the most common family type of HAP households for every year until 2020, but in 2021 and 2022 'Single 1 Child' is the most common family type, with 16,760 (24.6%) households in this category in HAP tenancies in 2022. See Figure 2.1 and Table 2.1.
Map 2.1 shows the number of households in HAP in 2022 by local authority for all family types. The local authority with the most households in HAP in 2022 was Dublin City (9,650), followed by Fingal (5,820), South Dublin (5,770), and Cork County (4,520). The fewest households in HAP in 2022 were in Leitrim (380), Longford (410), and Cavan (530). Data is available by local authority for earlier years and different family types in PXStat table HAP01.
The proportion of HAP households - who are in HAP tenancies for at least 10 months of the year - that have some employment has grown year-on-year from 34.9% in 2015 to 62.7% in 2022, with a small drop in 2020. See Figure 1.6. See Background Notes and Methodology for definitions of employment.
The local authority with the highest proportion of HAP households with one of more tenants in employment in 2022 was Dún Laoghaire Rathdown and South Dublin both with 72.7%. This is highest outside of Dublin in Cork City (70.0%). This was lowest in Carlow (43.6%), Roscommon (45.5%), and Cavan (46.3%). See Map 2.2. This data is available for all years and other statistics in PxStat Table HAP17.
The median inflation adjusted gross household earned income for working households in HAP - in tenancies for at least 10 months in year - increased from €10,679 in 2015 to €19,341 in 2022. The figure for 2022 is slightly up - by 2.5% - from €18,867 in 2021. Earned income figures for 2020 and 2021 include the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP). There was a small fall in the median and 75th percentile of earned income in 2020 but a rise in the 25th percentile. For the 25th percentile there is a fall of 9.4% between the 2021 and 2022 figures. See Figure 2.3. See Background Notes and Methodology for definitions of earned income.
Map 2.3 shows the median gross household earned income of households in 2022 by local authority. This was highest in Dún Laoghaire Rathdown (€25,039) followed by Kildare (€24,407) and Cork City (€22,889). This was lowest in Donegal (€12,070), Mayo (€12,572) and Tipperary (€12,898). Data for all years and further statistics is available in the PxStat table HAP17.
Fewer HAP households have gross household earned income in higher income bands that lower €5,000 groups across all years (with income inflation adjusted prior to 2022 and PUP included for 2020 and 2021). However, there is a clear drop in the percentage in the 'Up to €4,999' band each year from 27.4% in 2015 to 9.9% in 2021 with a rise to 11.6% in 2022. There is a similar pattern also for the '€5,000-€9,999' groups. For the later years the proportions in the higher income bands are slightly greater with 6.6% earning over €50,000 in 2022. In 2022 over half of households (51.3%) had a gross earned income of less than €20,000. This is made up of 11.6% with less than €5,000, 13.3% with €5,000 or more but less than €10,000, 15.4% with €10,000 or more but less than €15,000, and 11.0% with €15,000 or more but less than €25,000. See Figure 2.4. Data is available in PxStat table HAP18.
For all years the most common NACE sector of tenants in PAYE employment in HAP is the 'Wholesale and Retail Trade' sector, with this the main sector of employment of 17.7% of tenants in 2022. The other NACE sectors with higher proportions of HAP tenants are 'Accommodation & Food Services Activities', 'Administrative and Support Services Activities' and 'Human Health and Social Work Activities'. The later sector has seen an increase from 12.2% in 2015 to 17.6% in 2022. See Figure 2.5.
There is a small increase in the percentage of HAP households who were in employment from the year they entered HAP (54.1%) and for those who are then in HAP for the subsequent years in the scheme, up to 58.3% of those who are in HAP for at least a fourth year. There is also an increase seen in the median earned income over each year in HAP from €15,296 to €18,697 for those in a fourth year of HAP. See Figure 2.6.
Figure 2.7 details the percentage of HAP households with no earned income when entering the scheme who have income in subsequent years. This shows that 17.3% have some income in the subsequent year while 9.6% have more than €5,000 earned income and 1.4% with over €20,000. These percentages are higher for two years after being in HAP with 25.3% having any income in this year, and 17.9% and 4.7% with more than €5,000 and €20,000 respectively. The percentages are higher again when looking at the year exiting HAP for those who have done so, with 29.7% of households with no income then having some in this year. This goes down to 22.5% where the earned income is greater than €5,000 and 8.4% for those with over €20,000 earned income. Data by local authority is available in PxStat table HAP21.
Calculations have been made of the rent paid by HAP tenants as a proportion of disposable income (their rent burden). Disposible income is minus of tax, PRSI and USC and includes PAYE income (employee, director, and pension), self-employed income, all social welfare payments including pensions, and SUSI grants. See Background Notes and Methodology for more details on these calculations. The median rent burden for each local authority is shown in two ways for 2022 in Map 2.4, below.
Firstly, actual rent burden for HAP tenants is shown based on rent paid by the tenant (differential rent plus top-ups to landlord). The median value for this as a proportion of disposable income nationally is 14.1%. It is highest for Carlow (20.0%) and lowest for South Dublin (10.8%).
Secondly, theoretical non-subsidised rent burden, estimates the rent burden if the tenant paid market rent for the HAP property without any contribution from the local authority. This calculation includes the total rent paid to the landlord and includes what the local authority pays on top of differential rent and top ups paid by the tenant. The national median for this is 43.7% with this highest in the four Dublin local authorities (top for Dún Laoghaire Rathdown at 61.6%) and lowest for Longford (30.6%).
The Dublin local authorities also have the largest median percentage point difference between the rent burdens of what the HAP tenant is paying and is paid to the landlord, with this highest at 43.6 in Dublin City and lowest in Longford (12.1). Nationality this is 27.5. Data for years from 2019 is available in PxSTat table HAP20.
There has been a decrease in the proportion of HAP tenants - in HAP for at least 10 months of the year - who were in receipt of some form of Working-Age Income Support in that year (above a threshold of €500). This is down from a high of 76.4% in 2015 to 53.0% in 2022. This category includes unemployment benefit and allowance (and PUP from 2020). For full details of categories see Background Notes and Methodology. A pattern like this has been seen also for those with any social welfare scheme, decreasing from 98.2% in 2015 to 90.8% in 2022. See Figure 2.8.
Map 2.5 shows for each of the different categories the percentage of HAP households who were on these benefits in 2022 by local authority. For any social welfare scheme there is a range from 85.4% in Cork City to 94.5% in Offaly. The percentage with Working-Age Income Supports ranged from 44.0% in Cork City to 59.8% in Louth. Data for all years is available in PxStat table HAP22.
The proportion of HAP properties owned by landlords with 50 or more properties has increased every year from 1.3% in 2015 to 19.0% in 2022. The increase in the number of HAP properties owned by these larger landlords is mirrored by a decrease in the proportion of landlords with just one or two properties, with this decreasing from close to three-quarters (74.2%) in 2015 to just under a half (48.7%) in 2022. See Figure 2.9.
Around one in four (38.6%) properties with HAP tenancies in 2022, which could be matched to a Building Energy Rating (BER) assessment had a rating of D or E. A similar proportion (38.5%) had a C rating. There were 12.0% of matched properties in 2022 with a F or G rating, 9.1% with a B rating and 1.8% rated as A. There has been a slight increase in the higher ratings of properties over the years of HAP, with in 2022 49.3% of matched properties having an A, B or C rating, up from 41.8% in 2015, when there were no A rated properties. See Figure 2.10. It has not been possible to link all properties with the BER data due to incomplete Eircode data and BER assessments not being available for all properties. See Background Notes and Methodology for match rates and more details about the BER data.
Figure 2.11 details the distribution of ratings in 2022 for HAP properties alongside that for local authority social housing, all private rental tenancies and Approved Housing Bodies. The distribution of ratings is very similar for HAP properties as for all private rental tenancies (from RTB) with individual landlords. The ratings are slightly better for local authority social houses with 5.4% A rated and 14.7% B rated, Private rental properties with non-household landlords are much more likely to have better ratings, with 29.3% A rated and 19.4% B rated. Properties owed and managed by Approved Holding Bodies have an even greater proportion which are A and B rated with 47.1% and 15.8% respectively.
Some context for the difference in distribution across the tenure types can be seen from the distribution of the year of construction of dwellings - also taken from BER assessments. See Figure 2.12. This shows that there are high proportion of properties owned by Approved Housing Dodies and private rental properties (with non-household landlords) built since 2011 - at 44.4% and 29.4% respectively. Alike that seen for the ratings, the distributions for HAP and individual owned private rental are very similar. There were a higher proportion of local authority social houses constructed prior to 2001 (65.6%) than for HAP (53.9%). However, HAP has more pre-1919 properties - 6.8% - compared with 1.3% of local authority social houses.
For 44.3% tenants who exited HAP in 2022 to go to social housing, the time between them first being on a housing waiting list and their exit date from HAP was seven years or more. This proportion has increased each year, from 26.3% in 2017. In 2022, 19.8% of those who exited HAP to go to social housing were through the waiting list and HAP for 3 years or less. See Figure 2.13.
Map 2.6 shows by local authority the median time, in years, tenants are on the waiting list and through HAP prior to exiting to social housing. This ranges from 3 years in Roscommon to 11 years in Fingal, South Dublin, and Galway City. Nationally the median is 6 years.
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