Information for Property Owners and Landlords
The Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) is a form of social housing support operated by Local Authorities and involves a three-way relationship between a property owner, a local authority, and a tenant. Under the scheme, private rented properties provide an additional source of good quality rental accommodation for eligible tenants.
Benefits of the Rental Accommodation Scheme for landlords
There are a number of benefits for landlords once involved with RAS, such as:
- The landlord will receive prompt payments directly from the local authority for the duration of the Rental Accommodation Scheme contract.
- The landlord will still receive rental payments during any vacancy periods.
- There will be no need to employ a rent collection service.
- Tenants are sourced on the landlord’s behalf, saving on advertising costs.
- Landlords who rent to tenants in receipt of RAS, may also avail of increased tax relief. Property owners may claim up to 100% relief on their mortgage interest, as an expense against rental income. Further information is also available from the Revenue Commissioners on www.revenue.ie.
How RAS works
The local authority will seek to enter into a contractual arrangement with the property owner to make a property available for a RAS tenant for an agreed term. The terms of this contract will be negotiated between the Local Authority and the landlord. The accommodation may be an existing property or new build.
During this negotiation process, the Local Authority will also arrange an inspection of the property simply to determine that the property is compliant with minimum standards as per the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019.
Once the terms have been agreed and the property is deemed suitable, the local authority will nominate a tenant to the property. The tenant will have been assessed by the Local Authority and determined as having a long-term housing need. The tenant will sign a RAS residential tenancy agreement with the landlord. The local authority will also be party to this agreement as guarantor of the rent.
While different contract types may be entered, they will have the following features:
- the local authority will pay the full rent to the landlord on behalf of the tenant
- the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 (as amended) will govern the relationship between the landlord and the tenant
- the landlord must be tax compliant (tax clearance certificate must be renewed annually and contracts will be produced in the name that appears on the cert)
- the property must meet minimum standards for private rental accommodation, as determined by the local authority
- the landlord must register the tenancy with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB)
Responsibilities of the landlord
The main landlord/tenant relationship ultimately remains the same between the property owner and the RAS tenant as it would with a typical private rented tenancy. However, the Local Authority effectively acts as agent on behalf of the tenant.
The landlord is responsible for:
- insuring the property as well as insuring the landlord's contents and public liability
- routine maintenance, repair and replacement of equipment
- dealing with breaches of the tenant's obligations to the landlord, should they arise.
Where to get started
To inquire about getting set up with RAS as a property owner, please refer to the Housing Section of your local authority that has responsibility for the area in which the accommodation is located.
You can also contact the Housing Agency at info@housingagency.ie