Increase in HAP announced by government to help renters

As rents rise, new measures have been announced to help those on the Housing Assistance Payment.

Local authorities will now be able to increase HAP by up to 35 per cent above the current threshold to help tenants secure homes in the private rental market. However the discretion rate in Dublin, which is already 50 per cent, will remain the same. CEO of the Peter McVerry Trust, Pat Doyle, has also welcomed plans to expand the couples' HAP rate to single people