Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) for Landlords

Dublin City Council offer 6 year to 8 year contracts with rental income guaranteed for the term of the contract. The contracts are renewed on a 6 to 8 year basis

If a landlord is leaving RAS, they need to serve a Notice of Termination to the tenant and send a copy to Dublin City Council. 

Please Note: Any notice served needs to be in line with current rental legislation at that time.

The Notice of Termination, periods of notice, templates of notices and reasons why and when notice can be served can be found on the Residential Tenancies Boards website www.rtb.ie.

Under the Availability Contract, if the tenant is re-housed during your contract, DCC will continue to pay during a vacant period until a new tenant is made an offer of the property.

• The property may not be of a suitable condition.
• Agreement on rent may not be reached.
• The property owner/landlord is not tax compliant.

Proof of ownership of the property, Tax Clearance Access Number (TCAN) details, copy of most recent BER for the property, copy of current insurance policy for the property, proof of payment of Annual Management Fees if applicable. 

Rent amounts will reflect local market rents of comparable properties.  

The rent will be paid by Dublin City Council monthly in advance (processed on the 1st Friday of the month) by electronic transfer directly into the landlord’s bank account. Please note that, if the property owner/landlord is living outside of Ireland, the rental income is subject to 20% withholding tax. Further details on this aspect are available on www.revenue.ie

Yes, an up-to-date Tax Clearance Access Number (TCAN) is mandatory, and it is the responsibility of the Landlord to have up to date tax clearance. Payments will be suspended by Dublin City Council if the owner/landlord does not have up to date Tax Clearance. 

Yes, the Tenant pays their rent directly to the Local Authority under the Differential Rent Scheme. A landlord is not permitted to request any top up payment from the tenant. The full rent amount is paid by Dublin City Council on behalf of the tenant to the landlord. 

Yes. As the property owner you are responsible for the payment of this charge as well as all other charges and taxes that may be introduced by the Government during the term of the lease. 

Yes, Dublin City Council will first arrange for the property to be inspected by an Environmental Health Officer to ascertain its suitability for inclusion under the Rental Accommodation Scheme. The property will be inspected to confirm it complies with the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019. 

Inspections are also carried out at Contract Renewal stage or if requested by a tenant, if they feel the property has fallen below minimum rental standards.

Yes, the property needs to be fully furnished. RAS cannot accept an unfurnished property.

Dublin City Council will nominate a tenant to the property. 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.

The Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2020 govern the relationship between the landlord and the tenant. Under the terms of these Acts, a RAS tenancy must be registered with the RTB. If the tenancy is not registered, the landlord cannot avail of the dispute resolution services of the RTB should an issue arise with the tenancy. 

As Dublin City Council is neither a landlord nor a tenant under a RAS agreement, it does not have a role in the tenancy under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 (as amended) and therefore cannot refer or be referred to the Residential Tenancies Board.

The landlord is required to send confirmation of registration to Dublin City Council at [email protected] once the tenancy has begun.

The Landlord is responsible for managing the tenancy and for managing and maintaining the property, this includes annual boiler maintenance. 

The owner of the property will retain responsibility for structural maintenance, structural insurance, and structural repair. 

The person living in the property in the case of houses and the Management Company in the case of apartments. 

The management fees remain the responsibility of the owner of the property. 

Where there is a management company service charge, refuse charges are usually included in this. Where there is no management service charge the occupier of the house will be liable for the refuse charges. 

In the case of apartments, the insurance will be covered as part of the management service charge. In the case of houses, you will be required to maintain buildings and insurance, as you would be liable for any structural repairs e.g. roof. You will be required to maintain contents insurance for the furniture you provide. It is the tenant’s responsibility to have insurance for their own contents. 

The landlord is required to provide confirmation of the property insurance policy on an annual basis to [email protected]

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 

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.