Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Scheme

HAP is a form of social housing support provided by all local authorities. HAP means that local authorities can provide housing assistance for households who qualify for social housing support, including many long-term rent supplement recipients.

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Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Scheme

What is HAP?

Under HAP, local authorities will make a monthly payment to a landlord, subject to terms and conditions, on a HAP tenant’s behalf. In return, the HAP tenant pays a weekly contribution towards the rent to the local authority. This ‘rent contribution’ is based on the household income. It is calculated in the same way as the rent paid by a tenant of a local authority owned property.

HAP provides a more integrated system of housing supports and aims to:

  • allow HAP tenants to work full-time and still keep their housing support, and
  • allow all social housing supports to be accessed through one body – the local authority.