Guide to Rent Pressure Zones

What are Rent Pressure Zones? 

A Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ) is a designated area where rent increases are capped. Rents in a RPZ cannot be increased by more than 2% per annum pro rata or if it is lower, by the increase in the rate of inflation as recorded by the Harmonised Index of the Consumer Prices (HICP).  This restriction applies to new and existing tenancies in RPZs (unless an exemption applies).  

If your property is in a RPZ, you can use the Rent Pressure Zone Calculator to calculate the maximum rent permitted for that property. 

Where are Rent Pressure Zones? 

RPZs are located in parts of the country where rents are highest and rising, and where households have the greatest difficulty finding affordable accommodation. They are intended to moderate the rise in rents in these areas and create a stable and sustainable rental market that allows landlord and tenants to plan financially for their future. 

A list of the RPZs are below. You can also type the address of the property into the RPZ calculator to find out if you are in a RPZ.  

What criteria must an area meet to be designated as a Rent Pressure Zone? 

For an area to be designated a RPZ:  

• The annual rate of rent inflation in the area must have been more than 7% in at least four of the last six quarters, and 

• The rent in the area in the previous quarter must be above the appropriate standardised average rent for that area.    

There are three different standardised average rents (see below). The one used depends on the location of the area being assessed:   

1. Dublin Area: The ”Dublin Area” means the city of Dublin and the county council areas of South Dublin, Fingal and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown. The standard average rent for the Dublin Area is calculated by reference to that area.  

2. Greater Dublin Area: The Greater Dublin Area means, the Dublin Area and the counties of Kildare, Wicklow and Meath. The standardised average rent in the GDA is the national average rent in the country, excluding the Dublin Area.    

3. Rest of Country: The standardised average rent for the rest of the Country is the national average rent in the country, excluding the Greater Dublin Area. 

Exemptions to the Rent Pressure Zone rental cap 

Not all rented properties in RPZs are subject to rent caps (i.e. the restriction on rent increases to 2% per annum pro rata or the rate of HICP inflation, whichever is lower). Properties that are exempt from RPZ rent caps are as follows: 

1. A property that has not been rented for a period of two years prior to the immediate tenancy commencement date; 

2. A property that is a protected or proposed protected structure and has not been rented for the period of 12 months prior to the immediate tenancy commencement date; 

3. A property that has undergone a 'substantial change in the nature of the accommodation'.   

A 'substantial change in the nature of the accommodation’ is a defined term. A ‘substantial change’ will only be deemed to have taken place if the works carried out to the dwelling concerned meet one of the following criteria:   

The works consist of a permanent extension to the dwelling that increases the floor area (within the meaning of Article 6 of the Building Regulations 1997 (S.I. No. 497 of 1997)) of the dwelling by the amount equal to not less than 25% of the floor area of the dwelling as it stood immediately before the commencement of those works,   

or   

• in the case of a dwelling to which the European Union (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2012 (S.I. No. 243 of 2012) apply, the works result in the BER (within the meaning of those Regulations) being improved by not less than 7 building energy ratings,  

or  

• the works result in any 3 or more of the following: 

• the internal layout of the dwelling being permanently altered;  

• the dwelling being adapted to provide for access and use by a person with a disability, within the meaning of the Disability Act 2005;  

• a permanent increase in the number of rooms in the dwelling;   

• in the case of a dwelling to which the European Union (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2012 (S.I. No. 243 of 2012) apply and that has BER of D1 or lower, the BER (within the meaning of those Regulations) being improved by not less than 3 building energy ratings; or  

• in the case of a dwelling to which the European Union (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2012 (S.I. No 243 of 2012) apply and that has a BER of C3 or higher, the BER (within the meaning of those Regulations) being improved by not less than 2 building energy ratings.  

• If the works above were carried out for the purposes of a landlord complying with his/her repair and maintenance obligations, the landlord cannot rely on those works for the purposes of the RPZ exemption.  

Landlord’s Obligation to Notify the RTB of their Reliance on an Exemption  

Landlords must inform the RTB that they are relying on an exemption to the RPZ rent caps. Landlords must fill out an RPZ Exemption Form  (see below in Download section) with all the correct relevant information and supporting documentation and send it to the RTB within one month of the setting of the new rent under the tenancy.

Rent is set either at the start of a tenancy or on the date the notice of rent review is served.  

We ask landlords to retain a copy of the RPZ Exemption Form for their records. The RTB will not acknowledge receipt of the form.  

The RPZ Exemption Form is an additional document to the Notice of Rent Review. If a landlord wishes to review the rent and rely on a RPZ exemption, a rent review notice must still be served on tenant and separately the exemption notice on the RTB.  

Where are Rent Pressure Zone areas 

Please see below for a list of the areas that are currently RPZs. They will remain designated as an RPZ until 31 December 2024.  

A list of all RPZs by date of designation is below displayed by date of designation.