Approved housing bodies
- What is an approved housing body (AHB)?
- What services do AHB's provide?
- How to apply for housing with an AHB
- How are AHBs regulated and what are their responsibilities?
- Useful contacts
What is an approved housing body (AHB)?
Approved housing bodies (AHBs) are independent, not-for-profit organisations. They provide affordable rented housing for people who cannot afford to pay rent in the private sector or buy their own homes.
Some AHBs provide housing specifically for particular groups of people, such as:
- Older people
- People with disabilities
- People who are homeless
- Families on low income
AHBs are also known as housing associations or voluntary housing associations.
The term AHB also includes housing co-operatives. Housing co-operatives are housing organisations that are controlled by their tenants. The tenants or members of these co-operatives share responsibility for managing their homes.
AHB's are approved under the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1992. This lets them access financial support from local authorities to provide housing.
What services do AHB's provide?
There are approximately 450 AHBs in Ireland. Over 260 of these are registered as landlords with the Residential Tenancies Board and provide over 50,000 homes.
As well as providing affordable rented housing, AHBs work to support community development and encourage people to get involved in their local area.
AHBs get government funding from local authorities and use this funding to:
- Build new homes
- Buy existing homes
- Lease private homes
Some AHBs were set up by existing caring organisations that give support to specific groups, such as:
- Older people
- People with disabilities
- People who are homeless
Some offer non-housing services, such as:
- Group meals
- Social activities
- Welfare advice
Some AHBs help people who want to return to live in Ireland. For example, Safe-Home Ireland helps older Irish-born emigrants living in rented accommodation abroad, who want to return home, but cannot afford their own accommodation.
How to apply for housing with an AHB
If you want to be housed by an AHB, you need to be on the local authority housing waiting list in your area. To do this you must:
- Apply for social housing support
- Be approved for housing support
To qualify for social housing support you must:
- Have a legal right to remain in the State long-term. People who have temporary protection, such as Ukrainians fleeing the war, cannot apply for social housing as their right to remain is short-term.
- Meet the criteria for social housing support. Your income must be below a certain amount, and you must not have suitable alternative accommodation.
- Be in need of social housing
Our page applying for social housing has details of how your local authority assesses you for social housing support.
Completing the social housing application form
If you want an AHB to provide you with housing, make sure you tick the box marked 'approved housing body (AHB)' in the ‘Housing Requirements’ section of the social housing support application form.
Your local authority can tell you if there are approved housing bodies in your area. In most cases, the local authority will refer you to an AHB if they have an appropriate home available. A very small number of AHBs may accept direct applications.
Contact your local Citizens Information Centre if you need help filling out the social housing support application form.
How are AHBs regulated and what are their responsibilities?
Approved housing bodies are regulated by 2 organisations:
- The Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA) oversees how AHBs are managed and perform. It makes sure that public investment in AHB housing is protected.
- The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) makes sure that the rights and responsibilities of AHB landlords and tenants are protected.
The Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA)
The Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA) is responsible for:
- Keeping a register of AHBs
- Setting and monitoring standards for AHBs
- Reviewing AHBs finances and performance
- Monitoring and investigating AHBs
Registering with the AHBRA
The AHBRA was set up in 2021. It took over responsibility for the AHB register from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in 2022.
The AHBRA publish and maintain the approved housing bodies (AHB) register. All AHBs must be registered with the AHBRA.
New AHBs should contact the AHBRA before registering, as the AHBRA can advise on the registration process.
Applying to become a registered AHB
If you are applying to register as an AHB, you need to:
- Contact the AHBRA to talk about how to register
- Review the AHB qualification criteria to see if your organisation can become an AHB
- Complete and submit an application with supporting documents
The AHBRA reviews your application, and informs you of its decision to grant or refuse it. The Board of your organisation may need to meet with the AHBRA as part of the process.
Visit the AHBRA website for more on what information and documents you need to apply.
What information is on the AHB register?
The AHB register contains information about all registered approved housing bodies in Ireland, including the:
- Name of the AHB
- AHBs main place of business in Ireland
- AHBs registration number and the date they registered
- Legal form of the AHB, for example, is it a company, society, trust or unincorporated association
- Names of the people in charge of the AHBs governing body, for example, the names of company directors
In some cases, the register also includes the AHBs:
- Charity Registration Number
- Companies Registration Office Number
Keeping the register up to date
AHBs must ensure that information about them on the AHB register is up to date and accurate. AHBs must contact AHBRA if:
- There is a change that affects their entry on the register
- There are any errors in their entry on the register
Contact the AHBRA if you need to update your organisations entry on the register.
How to cancel an organisations AHB status
Registered AHBs can cancel their AHB status, if they need to. The AHBRA can also cancel an AHBs registration in specific circumstances.
The AHBRA website has more information about cancelling your status as an AHB.
The rules for cancellation are set out in section 57 of the Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Act 2019 (the Act).
Residential Tenancies Board (RTB)
The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) regulates tenancies in:
- The private rented sector
- Approved housing bodies
- Student-specific accommodation
The RTB:
- Keeps a national register of tenancies
- Provides a dispute resolution service for tenants and landlords
AHBs must register their tenancies with the RTB every year. They have the same rights and responsibilities as private landlords with some exceptions.
AHB tenants also have the same rights and responsibilities as private tenants, with some exceptions. For example, the minimum standards for food preparation, storage and laundry purposes do not apply to AHBs. So, they do not have to provide their tenants with white goods, such as washing machines.
The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 brought AHB tenancies under the remit of the RTB. This means that these tenancies are covered by residential tenancies legislation.