Rental supply and HAP
Senator Maria Byrne cited a Simon Community report showing falling rental availability for rent supplement and HAP, and urged monitoring of rents and more landlord engagement.
I refer to the report carried out by the Simon Community over a three-day period at the end of August and the beginning of September in ten locations. It found that only 20% of properties came within the rent supplement sector and the HAP scheme. In May 2015, 1,500 such houses were available to rent, but at the end of August and the beginning of September, there were fewer than 500. There has to be some monitoring of what landlords are charging and some engagement with the private rental sector to encourage landlords to come on stream with the HAP scheme and curtail the amount they are charging in rent.