Setting Rent Outside a Rent Pressure Zone

Check if a property is in a Rent Pressure Zone

Click here to check if a property is in a Rent Pressure Zone. Where a dwelling is not situated in a RPZ a landlord cannot set a rent that is in excess of market rent.

Review Outside of a Rent Pressure Zone

Outside of Rent Pressure Zones landlords can only review the rent 24 months after the tenancy commencement date or 24 months from the date of service of the last valid rent review. The review must be based on current market rent and three comparable properties must be provided by the landlord to show evidence as to how the new rent amount was arrived at. 

The landlord must include the rent amount for three comparable dwellings of a similar size, type and character and situated in a comparable area to establish market rent. Evidence of the rent charged for comparable properties can be in the form of advertisements for such properties published within the previous four weeks. 

A tenant must be informed of any review to the rent with at least 90 days’ notice in writing of a change in rent (an email or text is not considered appropriate notice of a rent review). All landlords must serve a notice of rent review ensuring that they follow the Notice of Rent Review. The Notice of Rent Review must be followed closely, and landlords should not deviate from the wording used therein, change the format of the notice, or delete information from same as doing so could invalidate the Notice of Rent Review in full. 

All landlords serving a Notice of Rent Review  must fill in Part A to Part E of the Rent Review form found here. 

The information required to ensure that you fill out the form  in full and correctly are: 

Part A: Tenant(s) name. Please add an additional page if there are more than 4 tenants.  

Part B: Registered Tenancy (RT) number, Rented dwelling address.  

Part C:  Landlord /Authorised Agent name and address.  

Part D: Previous rent amount, date last rent review was served, new rent amount, date which new rent becomes payable.  

Part E: The address and rent amount sought for 3 dwellings of similar size, type and character to the dwelling subject to tenancy and situated in a comparable area that have been advertised within the previous 4 weeks of the date of service of the notice. 3 comparables must be provided, if less are provided the notice of rent review will be deemed invalid. Comparable properties do not have to be in the exact same town or geographical location. Landlords can look for similar properties in similar towns nationwide. 

Once a rent review has been carried out and the new rent has commenced the landlord should notify the RTB that the rent amount has changed, via our online facility or by using a Tenancy Update Form. This should be submitted to the RTB within one month following the date when the new rent amount applies. The landlord must be in receipt of the new rent amount before an update to the rent amount can be applied to the registration. 

If a tenant considers that they are being asked to pay more than the market rent, they can seek clarification from the landlord or take a dispute case to the RTB within 28 days of receipt of receiving notice of the rent review or at any time before the new rent amount is due to commence.

Approved Housing Bodies: Rent setting and Rent Reviews

Rent setting  

Rent is set for Approved Housing Body (“AHB”) tenancies in accordance with the contract or lease between the public authority and the AHB or in accordance with the terms of assistance given by the housing authority to the AHB.