What to get ready before you apply for cost rental
If you're picked, you may have 72 hours to prove your income. Here's what to gather before the draw, not after it.
Being picked in a cost rental draw starts a clock. The LDA gives successful applicants 72 hours to upload their documents, and if they don't, the offer passes to the next person drawn. Most of the work can be done before you apply.
Your net income, worked out
The LDA asks every applicant to show clearly how they reached their net household income, with documents to back it up. Do the sum now: add up everyone's income for the year, after income tax, PRSI and USC, and keep a note of where each number came from.
If the total is close to the limit (€66,000 in Dublin, €59,000 elsewhere), check it carefully. A small mistake can make you ineligible after you've been picked.
Documents that come up again and again
Each listing says exactly what it needs, so read it before you apply. These are the ones providers ask for most:
- Recent payslips for everyone in the household who earns
- Bank statements
- References, for example from a landlord or an employer
Keep them in one folder, as files you can upload from your phone.
Make sure you're eligible
It's worth checking these before you spend time on paperwork:
- You're not getting social housing supports, including HAP or Rent Supplement.
- Nobody in the household owns a property, in Ireland or abroad.
- Everyone in the household lives in Ireland, and you're permanently resident and tax resident here.
- The rent is no more than 35% of your net income.
Apply for the right sizes
You can apply once for each home size your household fits. Applying for a size that doesn't fit wastes an application, and applying twice for the same size gets you disqualified. See which sizes fit your household.
Then wait for the draw
Once everything is ready, apply any time before the closing date. Applying early doesn't change your chances. How the lottery works.
Source: LDA cost rental, October 2026.
