What is HAP discrimination?
Housing assistance ground
If someone treats you less favourably because you are receiving rent supplement, housing assistance payment (HAP), or another type of social welfare payment and someone else is not.
The Housing assistance ground includes housing assistance payment (HAP), rent supplement or another social welfare payment.
Protection from discrimination on the ‘housing assistance’ ground applies to accommodation only and does not extend to the provision of goods and services, educational establishments or clubs under the Acts
How do you know if you have experienced discrimination?
Discrimination is when someone treats you worse or ‘less favourably’ than another person is, has been, or would be treated, in a similar situation, because you fall under the ‘protected grounds’.
You can experience discrimination in four different ways:
- directly
- indirectly
- by imputation
- by association
Who can you complain to?
Complaints under the Employment Equality Acts and the Equal Status Acts are made to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).
The WRC deals with claims related to employment and to services or goods, including education, housing, membership clubs and certain cases relating to pubs.
Note that there are very strict timeframes to complain.
Watch our video to see some examples of discrimination, learn about your rights and find out how to make a complaint.
Watch our video with audio description