Chapter 9 of 10 · Sharing, students and special cases · 1 of 7
Approved Housing Body and cost-rental tenants
Under the RTB, but with different rent rules. What applies to you and what does not.
Checked 27 OCT 2026 · 5 sourcesWritten in plain English for the person paying the rent. This guide covers the Republic of Ireland only.
If your landlord is an Approved Housing Body, or you live in a cost-rental home, you are under the Residential Tenancies Act and the RTB. Part 4 security, the deposit cap, the minimum standards, the notice rules and the dispute process all apply to you. What differs is the rent, and in an Approved Housing Body tenancy some of the grounds for ending the tenancy.
The short version: an Approved Housing Body sets rent under its own scheme, usually a differential rent linked to your income, rather than against market rent. Cost rental sets rent to cover the cost of providing the home, at least 25% below market at the start. Later reviews follow the scheme's index rather than the 2% or CPI cap written for private tenancies. The rent increase checker applies the private rule, so use it as a comparison and ask the provider for the scheme's basis in writing.
Who this guide covers
An Approved Housing Body is a non-profit housing association approved by the Department of Housing to provide social housing. Their tenancies came under the Act on 7 April 2016 through the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015. A tenant of one has a tenancy agreement with the body, pays rent to it, and is allocated the home through the local authority's social housing list.
Cost rental is a separate scheme under the Affordable Housing Act 2021. The homes are provided by Approved Housing Bodies, the Land Development Agency and local authorities, for people above the social housing income limits who cannot afford market rent. The rent is set to cover the cost of building, financing and managing the home over a long period. Income limits apply, places are allocated by lottery among eligible applicants, and the home stays cost rental for decades. Cost rental: what it is and how to apply covers the application; this guide covers your position once you are in.
A tenancy directly with a local authority is not under the Act and is not covered here. The council's tenancy agreement and the Housing Acts govern it, and a complaint goes to the council and then the Ombudsman.
What applies to you the same as a private tenant
| Rule | Applies to Approved Housing Body and cost-rental tenants |
|---|---|
| Part 4 security after six months | Yes, in six-year cycles or as a tenancy of unlimited duration by the date it began |
| Deposit and advance rent capped at one month | Yes, since 9 August 2021 |
| Deposit returned promptly, lawful deductions only | Yes, with the RTB deposit dispute |
| Minimum standards and the landlord's duty to repair | Yes, enforced by the local authority's inspection service |
| A notice of termination in the form section 62 requires | Yes, with a reason, the full notice period and a copy to the RTB within 7 days |
| The notice periods of 90 to 224 days | Yes |
| RTB registration | Yes, by the body |
| RTB disputes, fees and time limits | Yes: mediation free, adjudication €30, 90 days to dispute a notice |
| Peaceful and exclusive occupation | Yes, entry only by arrangement except in an emergency |
The guides elsewhere on this site apply to those rows as they stand. Tenant rights in Ireland is the overview, and the notice checker works for a notice from a housing body as it does for one from a private landlord.
What is different for Approved Housing Body tenants
The rent
An Approved Housing Body sets rent under its own scheme, usually a differential rent that rises and falls with your household income. The tenancy agreement says how it is calculated and how often it is reviewed. The Act's rent provisions were applied to housing bodies with modifications, and the market-rent and 2% or CPI rules were written for private rents. If a review comes, ask the body for the calculation in writing and check it against the scheme in your agreement. A review that does not follow the scheme can be disputed at the RTB.
The grounds for ending the tenancy
The grounds of sale and of the landlord or a family member moving in are private-landlord grounds, and the Act's application to housing bodies leaves them out. A body can end a tenancy for a breach of your obligations after a warning, rent arrears after a 28-day warning notice, serious anti-social behaviour, or where the dwelling no longer suits the household. The notice must meet section 62 in full, and you have 90 days to refer it to the RTB, or 28 days for a breach notice.
Arrears
A differential rent that was not updated when your income fell can build arrears you could not see. Tell the body in writing when your income changes, and ask for a review. Rent arrears: where to get help and MABS on 0818 07 2000 are the routes if arrears have built up.
The rent tax credit and HAP
The credit is not available where you receive HAP, and a housing body tenant on a differential rent should check Revenue's conditions for their own case before claiming.
What is different in cost rental
The rent follows the scheme, not the market cap
The starting rent is set at least 25% below the market rent for a comparable home in the area. The Affordable Housing Act 2021 ties later increases to an index of consumer prices rather than to the 2% or CPI rule in the Residential Tenancies Act. The rent is never reset to market, because the home is designated cost rental for a period measured in decades. Ask the provider for the index and the calculation whenever a review is proposed, and keep the letter.
Income limits and the lottery
Eligibility is tested at the start against the scheme's net income limits, and places are allocated by lottery among eligible applicants. Once you are in, a later rise in your income does not end the tenancy.
Security
Part 4 security applies, in the cycle or form the date your tenancy began gives you. A cost-rental provider is a larger landlord in almost every case, and for a tenancy that began on or after 1 March 2026 that means no termination to sell or to move family in. The provider's lawful grounds are a breach, arrears, serious anti-social behaviour or the dwelling no longer suiting the household.
No rent tax credit
The credit is not available for a cost-rental tenancy. The lower rent is the support, and Revenue does not add the credit on top.
Rent reviews: how to check one
Ask for the basis in writing before anything else. A housing body should show the differential rent scheme and your income figures; a cost-rental provider should show the index and the percentage. Compare the figure with the private rule in the rent increase checker so you know how far the scheme has departed from it, then compare it with the scheme itself. If the two do not match, or the provider will not show the working, that is a dispute the RTB can hear. Challenging a rent increase at the RTB covers the application; the rent review is paused while the dispute runs.
Disputes and the RTB
The RTB process is the same as for a private tenancy. Mediation is free and private. Adjudication costs €30 and, for applications made from 14 September 2026, the hearing is public and the published report names both parties. A tribunal appeal must be lodged within 10 working days. A determination order is enforced in the District Court, and the RTB can take the case for the tenant. How to make an RTB dispute application covers the form.
Threshold on 1800 454 454 advises tenants of housing bodies and cost-rental homes as it does private tenants. Keep paying the rent while any dispute runs; arrears would hand the provider a ground it did not otherwise have.
Where this leaves you
A tenancy with an Approved Housing Body or in a cost-rental home is under the Act, so you have Part 4 security, the deposit cap, the standards, the section 62 notice rules and the RTB. The rent is the difference. A housing body's differential rent follows its scheme and your income. Cost rent follows the scheme's index from a start at least 25% below market, not the 2% or CPI cap, and is never reset to market. The sale and family grounds are not open to a housing body, and the rent tax credit is not available in cost rental. Ask for the basis of any review in writing, keep paying while you check it, and ring Threshold on 1800 454 454 if the figures do not add up.
Questions people ask
Are Approved Housing Body tenants covered by the RTB?
Yes. Tenancies with an Approved Housing Body have been under the Residential Tenancies Act since 2016, with Part 4 security, the deposit rules, the standards, the notice rules and the RTB's dispute process. The rent is the main difference: it is set under the body's own scheme rather than against market rent.
Can a cost-rental landlord put the rent up by 2%?
Cost rental follows its own rent rules under the Affordable Housing Act 2021. The rent starts at least 25% below market and rises in line with the scheme's index, which tracks consumer prices, not the market. Ask the provider for the basis of any review in writing and check it against the scheme's documents.
Can I claim the rent tax credit in cost rental?
No. The rent tax credit is not available for a cost-rental tenancy, and it is not available where you receive HAP. For an ordinary Approved Housing Body tenancy check Revenue's conditions for your own case.
Can an Approved Housing Body end my tenancy to sell the home?
The grounds of sale and of the landlord or a family member moving in are written for private landlords, and the Act applies to Approved Housing Bodies with modifications that leave those grounds out. A body can still end a tenancy for a breach, arrears or serious anti-social behaviour, by a notice that meets section 62, and you can dispute it at the RTB within 90 days.
Is a local authority tenancy covered by the RTB?
Mostly not. A tenancy directly with a local authority is outside the Act, and the council's own tenancy agreement and the Housing Acts govern it. Cost-rental homes that a local authority provides are covered, because cost rental is under the Act.