Cost Rental Guide
How Cost Rental works in Ireland: eligibility, rents, providers, and current schemes.
Learn more → Established 2021
THE ORIGINAL COST RENTAL PLATFORM
We Built Ireland's Cost Rental From Day One
In 2021, the Minister for Housing launched Ireland's first cost rental homes with Rentalize as the technology platform. We helped shape the Affordable Housing Act and have powered every major cost rental allocation since.
Our Journey
Live
2021
Built the platform for Ireland's first ever cost rental homes
2022
Partnered with leading AHBs and the Department of Housing
2023
Handled record-breaking demand ratios across multiple schemes
2024
Expanded to local authorities and affordable purchase schemes
2025+
Powering the next wave of affordable housing in Ireland
2021
Live Since Day One
50,000+
Applications Processed
99.9%
Platform Uptime
0
Security Breaches
OUR STORY
We Did Not Just Join the Cost Rental Market. We Created It.
When Ireland introduced cost rental housing under the Affordable Housing Act 2021, there was no existing technology to manage it. No eligibility engine. No allocation system. No applicant portal.
Rentalize built the entire platform from the ground up, working directly with the Department of Housing and leading approved housing bodies to design every workflow, rule, and process.
We are not just a vendor. We are the technology partner that powered Ireland's cost rental programme from its very first allocation.
"Ireland's first cost rental homes were allocated using Rentalize. We built the technology that made this new housing model possible."
Rentalize Team, 2021
1st
Platform in Ireland
5+
Years of Operation
100%
Allocations Handled
24/7
Always Available
PLATFORM CAPABILITIES
Everything You Need to Run Cost Rental Schemes
From advertising properties to selecting tenants, Rentalize manages the entire cost rental lifecycle.
End-to-End Application Management
The complete workflow from the moment a property is advertised to the final selection of tenants. Every step tracked, auditable, and transparent.
- Online application portal
- Multi-step form with conditional logic
- Automated status notifications
- Real-time application tracking
- Bulk processing tools
- Complete audit trail
Eligibility Engine
Automated income threshold checks, household composition rules, and net income calculations against current cost rental limits.
Smart Waitlist and Allocation
Priority-based ranking, randomised selection where required, and transparent allocation decisions across multiple developments.
Document Verification
Secure upload and verification of payslips, P60s, bank statements, and tenancy references. Track outstanding documents per applicant.
Reporting and Compliance Dashboard
One-click generation of Housing Agency and Department of Housing reports. Real-time dashboards showing application volumes, processing times, allocation status, and compliance metrics across all your schemes.
HOW IT WORKS
From Property Listing to Tenant Selection in 5 Steps
1
Advertise
Properties listed with details, rents, and eligibility criteria. Applications open on a set date.
2
Apply
Applicants complete online forms with income, household, and employment details.
3
Verify
Automated eligibility checks run instantly. Documents uploaded and verified by staff.
4
Allocate
Qualified applicants ranked and allocated to available homes fairly and transparently.
5
Onboard
Tenancy agreements, rent setup, and move-in coordination handled through the platform.
APPLICANT COMMUNICATIONS
Keep Every Applicant Informed, Automatically
Built-in communication tools ensure transparency between your team and applicants at every stage of the process.
Portal Messaging with direct communication between staff and applicants, plus full notification support.
Automated Notifications so applicants always know their current status without needing to call or email.
Email and SMS Templates for sending updates, document requests, and allocation offers directly from the platform.
Activity Logs providing a complete record of every action taken on each application by both staff and applicants.
Applicant self-service portal
Real-time application status updates
Bulk email and SMS to all applicants
Custom notification templates
Document request workflows
Full audit trail of all communications
Cost Rental Eligibility Calculator
Check if your applicants meet cost rental income thresholds. Our free calculator covers all current limits for Dublin, Cork, Galway, and other areas across Ireland.
SECURITY AND COMPLIANCE
Bank-Level Protection for Sensitive Applicant Data
AWS Infrastructure
Enterprise cloud hosting with 256-bit encryption, automated backups, and distributed architecture for zero single points of failure.
GDPR Compliant
Built-in consent management, right to be forgotten, data portability, and privacy impact assessments for all applicant information.
Role-Based Access
Granular permission controls ensure staff only see what they need. Regular security audits and penetration testing validate our defences.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Cost rental is a form of affordable housing where tenants pay rent that covers the cost of building and maintaining the property, without any profit margin for the landlord. Rents are typically 25% to 40% below market rates. The scheme was established under the Affordable Housing Act 2021 and is delivered by approved housing bodies and local authorities.
In 2021, when Ireland launched its first cost rental homes, there was no existing software designed for this new housing model. Rentalize built the platform from scratch, working directly with the Department of Housing and approved housing bodies to design the eligibility checks, allocation processes, and compliance workflows. We have managed every major cost rental allocation since.
Yes. Our platform has been tested at Ireland's highest demand ratios, where thousands of applicants submit applications simultaneously for a limited number of homes. The system maintains sub-200 millisecond response times even under peak load, with zero unplanned downtime across all allocations.
The platform automatically verifies gross and net income against current thresholds, household composition and size, property ownership status, and geographic eligibility. Results are generated instantly, with clear pass/fail indicators for each criterion. Staff can review and override individual checks where needed.
After eligibility verification and document checks are complete, qualified applicants are ranked using configurable criteria set by the housing provider. The platform supports priority-based allocation, randomised selection, or a combination of both. Every decision is fully documented for transparency and audit compliance.
Yes. While Rentalize started with approved housing bodies, the platform now serves local authorities managing cost rental and affordable purchase schemes. The system adapts to different organisational structures, reporting requirements, and scheme rules, with configurable workflows for each provider type.
GET STARTED
Scale Your Cost Rental Programme with the Platform That Started It All
Join the approved housing bodies and local authorities already using Rentalize to deliver affordable housing across Ireland.