New legislation extends Rent Pressure Zones nationwide
From Friday, 20th June 2025, all private and student-specific accommodation tenancies in Ireland now come under Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ) rules.
This follows enactment of the Residential Tenancies Act (Amendment) Bill 2025. The new legislation has extended Rent Pressure Zone rules nationwide. It has brought 17% of private tenancies nationally across 59 Local Authority Areas (LEAs) under RPZ rules.
In a Rent Pressure Zone, landlords can increase rent once a year by either the rate of inflation or by 2%, whichever is lowest. The rate of inflation is recorded by the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP).
Speaking on the changes, Rosemary Steen, Director of the RTB said:
“Over the coming weeks, we will be rolling out a targeted public information campaign across new RPZ areas. This will ensure both landlords and tenants in those areas understand their rights and responsibilities under RPZ rules.
We encourage all landlords to visit our website to find out more and to use our RPZ calculator to set their rent correctly. As always, we also encourage tenants to use our Report a Landlord form if they believe their landlord has broken RPZ rules.”
The RTB is also highlighting that there are some differences on when a rent review is allowed for areas that became an RPZ within the last two years.
Emer Morrissey, Head of Compliance and Enforcement with the RTB explained that:
“While rent reviews in a Rent Pressure Zone are allowed once every 12 months, this is different for an existing tenancy in a new RPZ area. The first rent review for an existing tenancy in a new RPZ area can only take place two years after the date the tenancy started, or after the date of the last rent review. After the first rent review in an RPZ, landlords can then review rent once every 12 months.”
The RTB has updated its RPZ calculator so that landlords can check the date their area became an RPZ. For more information, please visit our page on setting and reviewing rent in an RPZ.
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