Who should register - Residential Tenancies Board

The RTB has released its Director’s Quarterly Update for Q3 2025 – read more.

Who should register

What tenancies must be registered?

Most residential properties in Ireland must be registered with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB). This applies to:

  • Private landlords
  • Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs)
  • Student specific accommodation (SSA)
  • Cost rental tenancies

Tenancies that don’t need to be registered

The following types of rented properties do not need to register with the RTB:

  • Business rentals: properties used for business purposes.
  • Holiday rentals: short-term lettings for holidays.
  • Former rent-controlled properties or long-occupation lease tenancies: different rules apply.
  • Owner-occupied homes: If you rent a room in your landlord’s home.
  • Family accommodations: Where the landlord rents to a close family member (spouse, parent or child) without a formal written tenancy agreement.
  • Social housing: provided by local authorities.
  • Temporary accommodation under the Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) scheme: for hosting refugees from Ukraine. This does not require registration, unless payment is made directly by the tenant outside the scheme.

How to check if your tenancy is registered

If you are a tenant and want to check if your tenancy is registered, you can look it up on the RTB public register.

If the tenancy you are looking for is student specific accommodation (SSA) you can search the RTB’s SSA register.

Even if your landlord hasn’t registered your tenancy, you can still use our dispute resolution service to resolve issues.

We can take action against landlords who do not register tenancies. You can report an unregistered tenancy to us by webform: Report a landlord

Why is registration important?

By law, landlords must register their tenancies. There are serious consequences for landlords who do not register. The RTB’s national register of tenancies is an important national asset. We use the tenancy registration data we collect to:

  • Inform rental sector policy.
  • Monitor if landlords are following rental law.
  • Produce research that answers key questions on our rental sector. For example:
  • What size is our rental sector?
  • How much rent do tenants pay?

Benefits of registration

By registering with the RTB you can:

  • Access the RTB dispute resolution service. Mediation is free and adjudication costs €30.
  • Prove tenancy registration for tax purposes, such as mortgage interest relief.
  • Claim the registration fee as an allowable expense when calculating your tax returns.

Your tenants can use confirmation that the tenancy is registered, for example when claiming the Rent Tax Credit.

I have more than one tenancy

If you are a landlord with multiple tenancies, you must make sure that each tenancy is registered individually. You can manage this through your registration account.

How often must tenancies be registered?

You must register each tenancy:

  • When a new tenancy begins: within 30 days of the tenancy start date.
  • Annually: on the anniversary of the tenancy start date.

You must also update the tenancy registration when there is a change in rent or other tenancy details. For example, if some tenants change but at least one of the original tenants remain.

Read more about when to register.

Understand the difference between a licence and a lease

Licence

A licence is a permission to enter or stay in a property (or both). Without this permission, the person would be trespassing.

Examples of licences include:

  • Staying in hotel, hostel or guesthouse.
  • Sharing a house with the owner.

Simply calling a letting agreement a “licence” does not automatically make it one.

The RTB and the Courts will look at the actual terms and substance of the agreement, not just the title, when deciding whether it is a licence or a lease.

Some typical features of a licence (not a full list):

  • The licensee does not have exclusive use of the property, in other words the owner can continue to access it.
  • The owner (licensor) can move the licensee to another room or change the occupants.
  • The rights in the license are personal to the licensee and cannot be transferred to another person.
  • The licensor can end the agreement at any time with reasonable notice (minimum statutory notice periods do not apply).
  • The arrangement was intended by both parties to be a licence.
  • The licensee has no legal interest in the property and no property rights.
  • Payment for staying may or may not be required.

Lease

A lease or tenancy is generally created when a landlord gives a tenant exclusive use of a property (or part of it) in return for rent or valuable consideration. Tenancies are covered under the Residential Tenancies Acts which set out the legal rules for how they operate in Ireland.

Typical features of a tenancy (not a full list):

  • Both parties intended to create a tenancy arrangement.
  • There is a tenancy agreement in place (can be written, verbal or implied).
  • The tenant(s) has exclusive occupation of the rental property.
  • Rent or other valuable consideration is paid.
  • The tenant usually decides who they live with. Even if they don’t (for example in bedsits or group homes), they should still have exclusive use of their own room.
  • The tenant generally controls what happens in their home.
  • The landlord needs to permission in advance from the tenant to enter the property.
  • A tenancy can only be ended according to the Residential Tenancies Act and the valid terms of any tenancy or lease agreement.