Major reforms to Ireland's residential tenancy laws are set to take effect from this Sunday March 1st under the Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026.
The changes, which will focus on the subject of rent increases, security of tenure and ending a tenancy, will apply to new tenancies only. Tenancies already in place before that date will continue under the existing rules.
Under the new laws, landlords will now be required to submit notices to both tenants and the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), whereas previously notices only had to be sent to the tenant when the rent changed.
The organisation will also publish a rent register from Sunday showing how much people are paying for accommodation nationally.
It will draw on registered tenancies and will be updated on a daily basis from the RTB's system and will allow people to search under Eircode, dwelling type, number of bedrooms and floor space.
The RTB also provides a calculator which allows landlords check the rent they are allowed to charge.
In order to understand the changes, we’ve broken down the six key things you need to know…
- Tenancies of Minimum Duration (TMD)
From March 1st 2026, all new tenancies will become Tenancies of Minimum Duration, lasting six years. At the end of each six-year period, the tenancy will automatically renew for another six years and continue in six-year cycles.
During the first six months, landlords can end a tenancy for any reason. After that, terminations are only permitted in specific limited circumstances.
- End of "No-Fault" Evictions for Large Landlords
Tenants entering into a tenancy with larger landlords — those with four or more tenancies, including companies — will no longer face "no fault" evictions from March 1st 2026. This means that large landlords will only be able to evict if the tenants are not meeting their obligations, such as failing to pay rent or if the property is no longer suitable, for example, if it is too small for a family.
Small landlords (those with three or fewer tenancies) can still terminate a tenancy during the six-year period in circumstances such as economic hardship or a family member needing to move in. At the end of the six-year tenancy, a small landlord can also end the tenancy due to an intention to sell, renovation of the property, requiring the property for a family member, or a change of use.
Importantly, landlords will not be allowed to reset the rent after a "no-fault eviction" — this is to prevent landlords evicting tenants simply to increase the rent for a new occupant.
- Rent Controls — National System Replaces RPZs
From March 1st 2026, Rent Pressure Zones are replaced by a national system of rent control, covering all private and student-specific accommodation tenancies across Ireland.
For new tenancies from March 1st 2026, all landlords will be able to set rent at market rates if the previous rent was below market level and the previous tenant left voluntarily or breached their obligations. Thereafter, rent increases will be capped at the rate of inflation (CPI) or 2%, whichever is lower. For existing tenancies already in place before this Sunday, rent increases will also be capped at CPI or 2%, whichever is lower.
For new apartments where construction commenced from 10 June 2025, annual increases can follow CPI with no 2% cap. Approved Housing Body and cost rental tenancies are not subject to the national rent control rules, nor are tenants who share accommodation with their landlord, for example those renting a room.
- New Rent Price Register & Market Rent Transparency
The Bill provides for the publication of a Rent Price Register to give greater transparency in rental prices for tenants, landlords and other stakeholders. When resetting a rent, a landlord will be required to demonstrate that the market rent is fair by referencing the rent and RTB registration numbers for three comparable rental properties in a similar area with comparable floor area, bedrooms, character, and Building Energy Rating (BER).
- Student-Specific Accommodation (SSA)
From March 1st 2026, student-specific accommodation providers will be allowed to reset rent to market rent and after each subsequent three-year period, recognising that there is a faster churn of tenants through student-specific accommodation than in general rental accommodation. Students and their families will have rent certainty for a period of three years, protected from rent being reset to market rent.
- Selling with Tenants in Situ
A property can be sold at any time with a tenant in situ, and the policy changes being introduced to allow for the resetting of rent will support such sales by ensuring that landlords of new tenancies have a mechanism to adjust rents to market rent where appropriate.
These are the most significant changes to Irish rental law in years, described by Minister for Housing James Browne as giving tenants "the most robust set of protections they have ever had."
For landlords, the reforms introduce new obligations around documentation, notice procedures and rent setting. Both parties with new tenancies from March 1st 2026 should familiarise themselves with these changes, and those with existing tenancies should be aware that their current arrangements remain under the old rules for now.
When can a landlord re-set the rent?
For tenancies created on or after March 1st 2026, landlords can review the rent each year. Any increase to rent must be within the limits for rent increases.
From March 1st 2026, if a new tenancy is created, a landlord can re-set the rent to market value, if the previous rent was below market value and:
- The tenant leaves the tenancy voluntarily
- The tenant breaks their obligations
- The home no longer meets the tenant's needs, for example, because it is too small
- The 6-year tenancy of minimum duration ends for a private rented tenancy
- 3-years has passed for tenancies in student-specific accommodation
- The property is a protected structure or proposed protected structure that has not been let in the previous year
- The property is not a protected structure and has not been rented out at any time in the previous 2 years
- The property had been substantially changed
How does a landlord re-set the rent?
When a landlord re-sets the rent for a new tenancy created after February 28th 2026, they must explain to the tenant and the RTB how they calculated the new rent they want to charge.
The rent must align with market rent for the area and for the type of property. Market rent will be determined by using the Residential Tenancies Board’s new rent register. This register will contain the most recent comparable rents for properties in the same area with similar floor area, number of bedrooms and bed spaces and Building Energy Rating (BER).
Notice about re-setting the rent
When re-setting the rent, the landlord must send a notice of the new rent to their tenant and the RTB on the same day. The notice should include:
- How much the rent was for the last tenancy at the property
- The date the rent was last set for the last tenancy at the property
- The RTB’s registration number for the last tenancy at the property
- How the new rent has been calculated and that this calculation aligns with the market rent for similar properties in the area
- The rent and RTB registration numbers for 3 rental properties that are like the property being rented. They should be in a similar area and have comparable floor area, bedrooms, character, and Building Energy Rating (BER). This information should be taken from the new RTB rent register.
It is an offence for a landlord to break these rules and the RTB can investigate and sanction landlords, if they do.
For detailed guidance, the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) at rtb.ie and Citizens Information at citizensinformation.ie are the primary official resources.
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