HAP Place Finder

Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Place Finder

The Homeless HAP Scheme (Place Finder) offers additional financial and practical supports to both tenants and landlords, while providing all the benefits of the national Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme.

HAP is a form of social housing support provided by all local authorities. It allows households to remain in the scheme even if they take up full-time employment. HAP replaces Rent Supplement for those with a long-term housing need who qualify for social housing support.

Under HAP, local authorities provide housing assistance to eligible households, including many long-term Rent Supplement recipients.
 
HAP Place Finder may:
• Identify properties and match them with clients from the target group
• Arrange to pay the deposit for a property to the landlord / agent on behalf of the tenant
• Arrange to pay one month’s rent in advance on behalf of the tenant
• Arrange to pay the monthly rent in advance to the landlord / agent each month
  
Why do we need HAP Place Finder?
• Housing Crisis
• Need to provide additional supports for target group
• Assist households in emergency accommodation primarily by providing access to deposits and advance rental payments
  
Contract:
• The contract will be a private contract between the landlord and the HAP tenant.  The HAP tenant is the landlord’s tenant and not a tenant of the local authority.  The tenancy will be governed by the terms of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 (as amended).
  
How you can help:
• Are you a potential landlord but don’t know where to start?
• Are you an agent with hard-to-let properties?
• Do you want to help alleviate the homeless problem in County Galway by providing a home for those in need?
  
 For general information on the national HAP scheme, visit: www.hap.ie