Social housing - Housing Agency

What is social housing support?

Social Housing Support in Ireland is made up of different options to help people have affordable and secure housing. Local authorities are responsible for allocating all social housing properties. The local authority may offer you a property that is owned by them or one that is owned or managed by an Approved Housing Body (AHB).

Choice based letting is used to offer houses in some local authorities. The properties will be advertised on the local authority’s website or choice based letting portal and you submit your interest in the property online.

Social housing support also includes help with the cost of renting in the private market through schemes like the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) and the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme. These schemes let people rent accommodation from private landlords with support from their local authority, making it more affordable for them to access housing in the private rental market.

To qualify for social housing support there are net income limits set for each local authority area. You can review all local authority income limits

Please see an Easy to Read guide on Housing Options.

Local Authority housing and approved housing body housing

What it is:

These are housing options provided by the government and non-profit organisations (Approved Housing Bodies) for people who need affordable housing.

Who it’s for:

If you have a low income or are in need of housing assistance, you can apply for social housing.

How it works:

You can apply for a place to live in a property owned by your local government or an Approved Housing Body. You will need to meet certain criteria to qualify.

Before you start looking for help with housing, it’s important to know what choices you have, and which one works best for you.

Let’s take a look at the different housing options you can get through your local authority.