There were no properties available to rent within standard Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) limits across the 16 areas surveyed for the latest Simon Communities Locked Out of the Market report.
Just 31 properties were available within any HAP limits, all of which were within the higher discretionary rates, which represents only 3% of all properties available to rent at the time of the study.
The charity has said it highlights the continued difficulty for households relying on HAP to access the private rental market.
HAP recipients must find their own accommodation within the private rental market.
Over three days in December, 929 properties were available to rent at any price across the 16 study areas surveyed.
While this represented a 12% increase compared with September 2025, it marks a 25% reduction compared with December 2024.
As seen in many previous Locked Out of the Market reports, the supply of properties within HAP limits was predominantly in Dublin.
A total of 27 of the 31 HAP properties were found across the three Dublin areas surveyed.
In Dublin, the discretionary rate allows up to an additional 50% on the standard rate. This is limited to 35% elsewhere in the country.
Portlaoise and Sligo had the lowest number of properties available to rent, with just one and four properties available respectively, across the three survey dates.
HAP rates failing to keep pace with rising rents
Simon Communities of Ireland Executive Director Ber Grogan said that for individuals and families outside the capital, the prospect of finding a suitable and affordable home is becoming increasingly remote.
This, she said, was due to discretionary HAP rates failing to keep pace with rising rents.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, she said the HAP is a "prevention mechanism" to stop people being forced into homelessness and also as an exit mechanism for people to leave homeless accommodation.
"So it means that you're languishing for longer in completely inappropriate, unsuitable accommodation," Ms Grogan said, calling for HAP rates to be increased.
72% of all rental properties available nationwide in the study were located in Dublin.
There were no properties available for single-person or couple households within standard HAP limits.
There were 19 properties available within discretionary HAP limits for singles located in Dublin City North (nine properties), Dublin City South (seven properties), and Dublin City Centre (three properties).
There were no properties available to couples or one-parent households with two children within standard HAP limits.
There were three unique properties available through discretionary HAP and an additional 11 that overlapped with properties available to families with one child.
Ms Grogan said that one of the levers available to the Government is the enforcement of regulations around short-term lets.
"This could potentially bring thousands of properties back into the market at a time when there is a dire shortage.
"Government and local authorities must take urgent action to address the monopoly of short-term lets, particularly in the west of Ireland and more touristy areas," she said.
Lack of supply in Limerick driving rents up
The head of advocacy at Limerick-based housing charity Nova said the lack of housing supply in the city is driving up rents for those on HAP.
Una Burns said the biggest challenge in Limerick is a slow output of housing.
Speaking on RTÉ's News At One, she said: "We have seen rent increases in Limerick as being an outlier over the last couple of years in terms of the rate increase."
"Last year, the CSO showed that home completions in Limerick were 870 units, but the city needs about 2,500 to 4,000 units."
Ms Burns said it costs around €25,000 per year to rent some properties in parts of Limerick city, which she described as "entirely unsustainable for anybody on low income" as well as "anybody on a median income".
She said some families on HAP who pay a top-up to their rent, often have to decide between food and heat as well as other essential items.
"If we could eliminate the need for top-ups, it would absolutely help and in the meantime ensure that the supply of public housing increases, so we are relying less frequently on the private rental market to meet our social housing needs," she added.
Govt to review HAP limits - Harris
Tánaiste Simon Harris has told the Dáil that the Government will review HAP limits with work expected to be completed in the first half of this year, and said the Government believes the scheme can make a difference.
He added that Sinn Féin's Spokesperson on Housing Pearse Doherty has described HAP as a "chronic waste of money".
Mr Doherty said the lack of HAP properties was piling even more pressure on renters and this laid bare what he said was the Government's failure on housing.
Mr Doherty also said that 293 homes were bulk purchased by "vulture funds" last year with 154 of those deals concluded in the final three months of 2025.
He said this showed that government efforts to prevent such purchases were not working.
Mr Harris defended the Government's actions in this area, with an original 10% stamp duty increased by 50% to deter such bulk purchases.
Under this policy, he said, that the number of bulk purchases had fallen in recent years.
