A new report shows there was just one property available to rent under the Housing Assistance Payment - or HAP - scheme in Waterford City last month.
The June 'Locked Out' report from the Simon Community says there's been a stark decline in this kind of property nationally.
Throughout the month of June, the report shows that on average there were 16 properties available to rent generally in Waterford City each day.
The data was gathered using listings on Daft.ie.
However, there was just one property to rent within HAP limits and this same property was affordable for single people and couples under the discretionary rate.
There were no units available to rent under any HAP rates for households with one or two children.
Meanwhile, rent for one-bedroom properties without HAP assistance, ranged from €500 to €1,000 and from €1,500 to €1,600 for two-beds.
Average rents across the city rose by over 16% in the last year and now sit at €1,262.
The report's authors acknowledge the recent positive intervention by the housing Minister to increase HAP rates.
But they say we need new options to create a breathing space for renters - like using some of the 166,000 homes identified as 'vacant' in the census.
