Important changes to rental law will take effect from 1 March 2026. To learn what these changes will mean for tenants and landlords click here.
New rental rules from 1 March 2026:
The changes only apply to new tenancies created from 1 March 2026. They do not change the rules for existing tenancies.
Security of tenure is a tenant’s right to stay in their rented home. A tenant gets security of tenure once:
All landlords can end a tenancy in the first six months for any reason. After six months, a landlord can only end a tenancy for specific legal reasons. These depend on:
| Tenancy created from 1 March 2026 | All landlords can end a tenancy at any time if:
If a landlord has 4 or more tenancies (or is a company): The 2 reasons above are the only reasons they can end a tenancy. If a landlord has 1-3 tenancies: There are some additional reasons they can end a tenancy: During a 6-year tenancy cycle (Tenancy of Minimum Duration):
At the end of a 6-year tenancy cycle:
|
| Tenancy created before 1 March 2026 |
A landlord can end a tenancy at any time for 6 reasons:
There is no difference based on how many tenancies a landlord has. |
| Tenancy created before 11 June 2022 | At the end of a Part 4 or Further Part 4 tenancy term, a landlord can also end the tenancy for any reason. It does not have to be one of the 6 specific reasons for tenancies created before 1 March 2026. |
Note: A landlord cannot re-set to market rent for the next tenancy after a ‘no-fault termination’. This includes when the tenancy ends in the first 6 months.
From 1 March 2026, a new national system of rent control applies to all private tenancies and Student Specific Accommodation (SSA). Under this system:
Exceptions:
| Annual increase allowed | Re-setting to market rent | |
|---|---|---|
| Private tenancy started before 1 March 2026 | 2% – or rate of inflation (CPI) if lower | Not allowed |
| Private tenancy started from 1 March 2026 | 2% – or rate of inflation (CPI) if lower | For private tenancies created from 1 March 2026: Re-setting to market rent is allowed in specific cases. These are:
|
| New private apartment (construction commenced after 10 June 2025) | In line with inflation (CPI). No 2% cap applies. |
|
| Student specific accommodation (SSA) | 2% – or rate of inflation (CPI) if lower | Allowed once every 3 years from 1 March 2029 |
| New SSA (construction commenced after 10 June 2025) | In line with inflation (CPI). No 2% cap applies. | Allowed once every 3 years from 1 March 2029 |
Market rent is the amount a tenant would reasonably pay a landlord for a similar home in a comparable area at the time
the tenancy begins. From 1 March 2026, if a landlord is setting to market rent they must:
A landlord must give their tenant a rent setting notice at the start of the tenancy to explain how they set the rent.
This must include three examples from the RTB Rent Register.
If a tenant believes that a landlord has set their rent above market rate, they can bring a dispute case to the RTB or report the landlord for investigation. If they take a dispute case, this can stop the rent review from taking effect until the dispute case ends. And an RTB adjudication or tribunal hearing can order a landlord to repay any overpaid rent and award damages of up to €20,000.
The RTB Rent Register is a new tool that landlords must now use when setting or review rent for a tenancy. Landlords must now provide 3 examples of rent paid for similar properties from the RTB Rent Register when setting rent.
The RTB Rent Register draws on RTB tenancy registration data. It is updated on a daily basis from the RTB’s tenancy registration system. It allows landlords to search for rents paid for similar tenancies in the same Local Electoral Area as the tenancy they are setting rent for. They can enter details such as the dwelling type, floor area, number of bedrooms and BER rating. The RTB Rent Register will return the results that most closely match their tenancy.
No, tenants are protected from economic evictions under the new rules. From 1 March 2025, a landlord cannot re-set to market rent for a new tenancy after a no-fault termination. A landlord can only re-set to market rent if the last tenancy in the property ended because:
No. The rent setting rules are different for student-specific accommodation (SSA) in recognition that these tenancies change each year. Unlike for private tenancies, there is no re-setting to market rent between SSA tenancies. Instead, SSA landlords can only re-set to market rent once every 3 years. The first re-sets to market rent for SSA tenancies will not happen until 1 March 2029.
The best way to submit a notice to the RTB is through the online RTB Service Centre.
Setting to market rent is not allowed for a tenancy created before 1 March 2026, unless the landlord has substantially refurbished or renovated the property.
For tenancies created from 1 March 2026, setting to market rent is allowed for a new tenancy but not after a no-fault eviction. This means that if a landlord ended a tenancy for any reason other than breach of tenant obligations or because the property no longer suited the tenant’s needs, then re-setting to market rent is not allowed. It is also allowed once every 6 years at the end of a Tenancy of Minimum Duration cycle.
Yes. If a property has not been let for two years, the rent for the next tenancy can be set at market rent.
No. From 1 March 2026, Rent Pressure Zones are replaced by a national system of rent control. This system covers all private and student-specific accommodation tenancies across Ireland.
Yes. The RTB already uses data on rent setting from registration data to identify cases where landlords have broken Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ) rules. We have used that to drive significant compliance campaigns over the last 2 years. We will be analysing our data in the same way to identify cases where landlords have broken the new national rent control rules.
No. The stronger tenancy protections with a 6-year Tenancy of Minimum Duration will only apply to new tenancies created from 1st March 2026. Landlords will still be able to end a tenancy created before the 1 March 2026 at any time for six reasons. These are:
Only a small landlord with 1 – 3 tenancies can end a tenancy for a family member to move in.
During a 6-year tenancy cycle, they can only end the tenancy if the landlord, their spouse, civil partner, parent or child needs to live in the property. Child includes step-child, foster-child and adoptive-child. Parent includes step-parent and parent-in-law.
At the end of a 6-year tenancy cycle, a landlord can end a tenancy to allow extended family members to live in the property. This includes grandparents, grandchildren and siblings in addition to spouses, civil partners, parents and children.
If a landlord wants to end a tenancy at the end of a 6-year Tenancy of Minimum Duration, they must serve a Notice of Termination before the 6-year cycle ends. They must give their tenant the correct notice period, and the tenancy end date must fall on or after the end of the 6-year tenancy cycle.
All landlords can end a tenancy in the first six months for any reason. There is one difference after the 1st March 2026. They must now serve a Notice of Termination to the tenant and the RTB on the same day stating the reason they are ending the tenancy.
If a landlord ends a tenancy in the first six months, they can only re-set to market rent for the next tenancy if they ended the last tenancy because:
A tenant with a fixed term tenancy agreement will still have all the same security of tenure benefits as other private tenants. They will still get a minimum 6-year tenancy cycle, and the reasons their landlord can end a tenancy will also depend on how many tenancies the landlord has. However, tenants in a fixed term tenancy need to be careful as there may be penalties in their contract if they decide to end the tenancy before the end of their fixed term.
When a property is sold with a tenant in situ, the tenant’s 6-year Tenancy of Minimum Duration continues under their new landlord. This means that the new landlord ‘steps into the shoes’ of the previous landlord.
If a tenant has lived in the property for 4 years under their previous landlord, they will still have 2 years remaining on their Tenancy of Minimum Duration under their new landlord. This means that the new landlord cannot re-set to market rent until the end of the 6-year tenancy cycle in 2 years’ time. They must also wait until the end of the 6-year cycle if they want to end the tenancy on any of the allowed grounds for smaller landlords.
If a property is sold from a large landlord to a small landlord, the tenant’s 6-year Tenancy of Minimum Duration continues under their new landlord. This means that the new landlord ‘steps into the shoes’ of the previous landlord.
If a tenant has lived in the property for 4 years under their previous landlord, they will still have 2 years remaining on their Tenancy of Minimum Duration under their new landlord. This means that the new landlord cannot re-set to market rent until the end of the 6-year tenancy cycle in 2 years’ time.
But the tenant will lose the stronger restrictions on ending their tenancy that applied under a large landlord. Their new landlord will be able to end their tenancy on the allowed grounds for smaller landlords during and at the end of the 6-year cycle.
A landlord with 1–3 tenancies can only end a tenancy to sell during a 6year tenancy cycle to avoid serious financial or other hardship. This is permitted when the landlord, their spouse or civil partner needs the sale proceeds:
A property owned by a small landlord can be sold during a 6-year tenancy cycle to avoid undue financial hardship. This includes selling the property to discharge a debt owed under the Fair Deal scheme.
A small landlord can sell during a 6-year tenancy cycle to avoid undue hardship. Reaching retirement age alone is not considered to be hardship. The landlord will need to prove that retirement has caused specific financial hardship or a debt that they need to sell the property to discharge.
A property can be sold at any time with a tenant in situ. If the new owner wants to sell with vacant possession, the rules on ending the tenancy will depend on who inherits the property.
If the new owner is a company or a landlord with 4 or more tenancies, the rules on ending a tenancy for large landlords will apply. This means the property can only be sold with the tenant in situ unless the tenant breaches their obligations or the property no longer meets their needs.
If the new owner is an individual landlord with 1 – 3 tenancies, the rules on ending a tenancy for small landlords will apply. This means the new landlord can sell during a 6-year tenancy cycle to sell to avoid undue hardship or if the landlord or a close family member needs to live in the property. The new landlord can also end the tenancy to sell the property at the end of the 6-year cycle.
When a tenant receives a Notice of Termination for a new tenancy created from 1 March 2026, they can ask the RTB to confirm if their landlord has three or fewer tenancies according to the RTB Register. They must make this request in writing to the RTB by emailing noticeoftermination@rtb.ie.
The RTB will ask the person making the request to provide proof of identity and a copy of the Notice of Termination.
The RTB cannot provide tenants with information on their landlord size until they have received a Notice of
Termination.
The only time that a landlord’s size matters under rental law is on the day they serve a Notice of Termination to end a tenancy.
If your landlord was a large landlord with 4+ tenancies but now only has 2 tenancies on the day they serve a Notice of Termination – the rules on ending a tenancy for small landlords will apply.
Small landlords with 1 – 3 tenancies can end a tenancy created from 1 March 2026 for a wider range of reasons than a large landlord with 4 or more tenancies. If a small landlord is ending a tenancy for a reason that is only allowed for a small landlord, they must submit a statement to the RTB to confirm they are a small landlord with 1 – 3 tenancies. This statement is shared with the tenant and the RTB on the same day together with a Notice of Termination.
When a tenant receives a Notice of Termination for a new tenancy created from 1 March 2026, they can ask the RTB to confirm if their landlord has three or fewer tenancies according to the RTB Register.
Yes, if a landlord has 4 tenancies they are a large landlord. It does not matter if the tenancies are in one building that has been sub-divided to create separate, self-contained units.
