HAP, RAS, Cost Rental: A Side-by-Side Comparison for Housing Officers in 2026

If you sit across the desk from someone applying for housing support in Ireland in 2026, the conversation is rarely about a single option. The applicant might be eligible for HAP, the household income might just qualify for Cost Rental, the local authority might still operate RAS in parts of the area, and the long-run social-housing waitlist sits underneath all of that.

Each of these is a different product with different funding, different obligations on the State, the landlord and the tenant, and different long-term outcomes. The right answer for a household depends on income, family composition, current housing situation and how long they expect to need support.

This is the comparison side by side, written for the housing officer who needs to talk a household through their realistic options in 20 minutes.

The three products at a glance

HAP, the Housing Assistance Payment. Demand-side. The Local Authority pays a portion of the private rent directly to the landlord; the tenant pays the differential rent contribution and finds the property themselves on the open market. Funded by central government via Local Authorities. Detail in our HAP guide.

RAS, the Rental Accommodation Scheme. Demand-side, but the Local Authority leases the property from the landlord under a long-term agreement. The tenant becomes a Local Authority tenant in practice. Newer transfers are limited; HAP has largely replaced RAS for new entrants but existing RAS tenancies continue.

Cost Rental. Supply-side. The State, AHB or LDA delivers the property and rents it directly at a price set to recover the long-run cost. Tenant pays the cost rent. No State subsidy at the rent level; the discount comes from low-cost long-term financing. Detail in our cost rental explainer.

Eligibility side by side

HAP eligibility requires the household to be on the social housing waitlist and meet the local income limits for social housing (which vary by household size and Local Authority area).

RAS eligibility historically required at least 18 months on the social housing waitlist or HAP. New RAS lettings are limited in 2026; most authorities are not actively expanding the scheme.

Cost Rental eligibility requires net household income under EUR 66,000 (Dublin) or EUR 59,000 (rest of country), no existing homeownership, and no current social housing supports. So a household receiving HAP cannot also be in cost rental.

What the tenant pays

HAP tenant cost. Differential rent contribution to the Local Authority, calculated as covered in our differential rent guide. The landlord receives the HAP contribution from the LA plus, if applicable, a discretionary top-up from the tenant up to a local cap.

RAS tenant cost. Differential rent to the Local Authority, similar to social housing.

Cost Rental tenant cost. The full cost rent, typically EUR 1,300-1,500 for a Dublin two-bed against a EUR 2,000-2,200 market rent. No income-tested differential.

Security of tenure

HAP. Standard private tenancy under the Residential Tenancies Act, with all the protections (and limitations) that implies. The new six-year minimum tenancy term applies to new tenancies from 1 March 2026.

RAS. Long-term lease with the Local Authority typically 10-20 years. The tenant has effective security for the duration.

Cost Rental. Designated cost rental period (typically 40+ years) provides long-term tenure. Standard residential tenancy protections apply within that designation.

Advising a real household

Take a working couple, two children, joint net income EUR 64,000, currently renting privately at EUR 2,000 with no security. They are eligible for cost rental but not HAP (income too high for social housing waitlist). Cost rental is the answer if a scheme is open in their area.

Take a single parent, one child, net income EUR 28,000, on the social housing waitlist for three years. HAP is immediately useful if they can find a private rental within local rent limits. Cost rental is not available because the household receives or is eligible for social housing supports.

Take a couple in a 12-year RAS tenancy. Their security and rent contribution are stable. Cost rental would not improve their position. Their priority is monitoring any RAS scheme changes.

How Rentalize handles this for you

Rentalize Core manages all three product types from a single dataset, with the appropriate scheme rules layered on top. Local Authority customers use it for HAP and RAS administration. AHBs use it for cost rental and social housing. The hand-off between products as a household’s circumstances change is a single workflow in the platform, not a re-keying exercise.

Frequently asked questions

Can I receive HAP and apply for cost rental?

No. Cost rental eligibility requires the household not to be in receipt of social housing supports such as HAP.

Is RAS still available?

New RAS lettings are limited in 2026; HAP has largely replaced RAS for new entrants. Existing RAS tenancies continue.

Which product gives the most secure tenure?

RAS in practice gives 10-20 year security via the LA lease. Cost rental gives 40+ year designated tenure. HAP relies on private tenancy protections.

What is the income ceiling for cost rental?

Net household income under EUR 66,000 (Dublin) or EUR 59,000 (rest of country).

Can a tenant move from HAP to cost rental?

Only by exiting HAP first and then applying for a cost rental scheme as a non-supported applicant. Eligibility is reassessed.

How is rent calculated under each scheme?

HAP and RAS: differential rent on income. Cost rental: scheme-specific cost rent.

If you would like to see how Rentalize handles this in practice, you can book a 20-minute walkthrough. We will use one of your own properties as the worked example.