How Roost works
Short guides for both sides of a tenancy, plus answers to the questions we're asked most about renting in Northern Ireland.
Getting started: tenants
- 1Create your account and open your Tenant Passport.
- 2Add identity, income (including benefits) and references. Everything you upload is self-certified by you.
- 3Browse listings and apply with one tap — no re-typing your details for every property.
- 4Track applications, review and sign your lease, then manage the tenancy from your dashboard.
Getting started: landlords
- 1Create your account and add a property, including your NI Landlord Registration Number.
- 2Set rent, deposit, heating type and, for oil or LPG, your Fair Fuel terms.
- 3Review received passports — identity, income and affordability at a glance.
- 4Issue the lease, protect the deposit within 28 days, then run rent, inventory and repairs from the tenancy workspace.
Frequently asked questions
What does “self-certified” mean?
Documents and details on a Tenant Passport are uploaded and declared by the tenant themselves. Roost stores and presents them securely, but it does not run credit checks, employment checks or background checks. Landlords should read the evidence and make their own decision.
Does Roost approve or reject anyone?
No. Roost assists, it never decides. We organise the evidence, the paperwork and the deadlines — accepting or declining an applicant is always the landlord's call.
How does Fair Fuel work for oil and LPG?
Fair Fuel is a same-level-out policy. Whatever level the tank is at when the tenancy starts is the level it should be at when the tenancy ends. Full in means full out; empty in means empty out is accepted. Readings are recorded by both parties in the tenancy workspace.
What is the 28-day deposit rule?
In Northern Ireland a landlord must protect a tenancy deposit with an approved scheme within 28 days of receiving it and give the tenant the prescribed information. Roost counts the days down for you and stores the protection certificate against the tenancy.
What notice periods apply?
Notice to quit lengths depend on how long the tenant has lived in the property: 4 weeks for under 12 months, 8 weeks for 12 months to 10 years, and 12 weeks for over 10 years. Roost works the correct period out from the tenancy start date when you serve a notice.
Who can see my documents?
Only a landlord you have actively applied to, and only while that application is live. Withdraw an application and their access is revoked immediately.
Is anything charged during the beta?
No. Payments are switched off. Pricing is shown in the app for feedback only — nothing is taken from you and nothing is paid out.
Should I use real documents?
Please don't. Use test data during the beta. Never upload a real passport, payslip or anyone else's personal details.
Still stuck?
Use the Feedback button in the bottom corner of every signed-in page. It goes straight to the team and a one-line note is genuinely useful — tell us what you were trying to do and what happened instead.
We read every message during the beta.