Discrimination against woman over HAP form
The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) has welcomed a recent finding by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) that a property-management company discriminated against a woman.
The company had refused to complete the woman’s Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) application that would have enabled her to receive housing support.
Having received HAP since 2018, the woman was forced to leave her home with her children in March 2025 and sought refuge with a women’s support service.
Repeated requests
She later returned home, but was required to make a new application for support after the local authority terminated her HAP.
The woman, whom IHREC represented in the case, said that the property-management company had refused to complete the necessary form, despite repeated requests.
The WRC found that the refusal to complete the HAP application amounted to discrimination on the housing-assistance ground under the Equal Status Acts.
‘Clear breach’ of act
It awarded the complainant €14,750 and directed the respondent to immediately complete her HAP application.
Adjudication officer Pat Brady described the circumstances as being “at the extreme of the spectrum of gravity”, finding that the respondent’s actions constituted a “clear breach of the act on the HAP ground”.
“The WRC’s finding sends an important message that people in receipt of HAP are protected from discrimination and that those providing accommodation must respect those rights,” said IHREC’s head of legal Michael O’Neill.