Research published today, under a programme of work between the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government and the Economic and Social Research Institute examines the short-run impact of the pandemic on rental affordability and missed payments for private renters not previously in receipt of state housing supports.

This paper examines the targeting of rent subsidies among local authority tenant households. Using microdata from the SILC survey over the period 2006 to 2015, the distributions of household rents and incomes are examined and the targeting of the local authority rental subsidy is assessed. Using propensity score matching, estimates are made of the impact of the rental subsidy on households and on the income distribution. The potential impacts on the income distribution of alternative rent subsidy mechanisms are assessed. The paper finds that the subsidisation of the rental costs paid by local authority tenants decreases income inequality, when housing costs are taken into account. Also evident is the poor targeting of rental subsidies; counter-factual scenarios in which local authority rental subsidies are directed to a greater degree towards lower income households are shown to reduce income inequality.

This paper traces the evolution of social supports for housing since 2004, including local authority (LA) housing, housing provided by Approved Housing Bodies (AHB) and support for renting in the private sector through schemes administered by the local government sector (Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) and the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP)) and the Rent Supplement scheme operated by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. Given the increased use of the private sector to provide housing for low-income households, the paper draws on SILC data to examine changes between 2004 and 2015 in the quality of housing in different sectors. as measured by problems such as dampness, lack of central heating, lack of double glazing, insufficient light and noise. The analysis finds that the overall percentage of housing that is socially supported increased during the recession to 17 per cent from 13 per cent in the boom years (2004-2007, mainly via increased use of Rent Supplement) but dropped back towards pre-recession levels by 2015 (about 15 per cent). The use of the private sector as a source of socially-supported housing rose from 28 per cent in the boom years to 42 per cent during the recession before dropping back to 33 per cent by 2016. Housing quality improved between 2004 and 2015. with a drop from 16 per cent to 9 per cent in the percentage of people living in dwellings with two or more of five quality problems; the improvements were significantly greater for those living in rented than owned/mortgaged dwellings, though rented dwellings remained at a disadvantage in 2015. Improvements in quality in the rented sector were found across the income distribution.

This paper examines housing affordability in Ireland by looking at the distribution of housing costs across households. Using microdata from the SILC survey over the period 2006-2016, the contribution of this paper is threefold. First, the paper considers the trends in the cost of housing in Ireland across groups of households split by age, region, household structure, and their position in the income distribution. Second, we apply selected international housing affordability definitions and explorethe share, and composition, of households in Ireland that would be captured by these definitions. We do not find evidence of universal affordability difficulties in the Irish market. However, certain groups do face acute affordability challenges. Third, working towards a definition of housing cost affordability for use in Irish policy discussions, we provide some guidance as to what such a definition could look like.

This paper examines housing affordability in Ireland by looking at the distribution of housing costs across households. Using microdata from the SILC survey over the period 2005-2015, the contribution of this paper is threefold. First, the paper considers the trends in the cost of housing in Ireland across groups of households split by age, region, household structure, and their position in the income distribution. Second, we apply selected international housing affordability definitions and explore the share, and composition, of households in Ireland that would be captured by these definitions. We do not find evidence of universal affordability difficulties in the Irish market. However, certain groups do face acute affordability challenges. Third, working towards a definition of housing cost affordability for use in Irish policy discussions, we provide some guidance as to what such a definition could look like. *Corresponding Authors: eoin.corrigan@housing.gov.ie; conor.otoole@esri.ie