Welcome reform: unpacking Ireland’s New Residential Tenancy Legislation

Residential tenancies in existence before 1 March 2026 will continue to be subject to the same rules as before with a few changes. While the 2026 legislation primarily applies to new tenancies from 1 March 2026 onwards, landlords with existing tenancies should be aware of several important new provisions that will affect them.

What will change after 1 March 2026?

• The Bill removes Rent Pressure Zones and establishes national rent controls limiting annual rent increases to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) (instead of HICP) or 2% per annum, whichever is lower. This applies to both new and existing tenancies.
• Any rent reviews from 1 March 2026 onwards must comply with new procedural requirements. See our outline of the procedural changes for landlords section for further information.
• When setting rent on review, landlords must have regard to the RTB’s published register and comparable rents for similar dwellings based on floor area, type, number of bedrooms, bed spaces, and Building Energy Rating (BER).
• If a pre 1 March 2026 tenant voluntarily leaves or if their tenancy is terminated for tenant breach or due to the accommodation no longer suiting the tenant household needs, landlords can reset rents to market rates for the next tenancy.
• The legislation confirms that notices may be served by electronic means to an email address or other electronic contact point, provided a record of sending is maintained.
• The RTB’s published register will contain detailed rental information including the rent, tenancy registration number, commencement date, dwelling type, number of bedrooms and bed spaces, local electoral area, floor area, and BER (if applicable). This information will be publicly accessible and used for comparative rent assessments.
• Information sharing mechanisms will be in place between the RTB and several Government bodies where such data exchange is necessary and proportionate for the performance of their respective statutory functions.
• Tenants must allow viewings when a landlord has served a notice of termination on the ground of intention to sell. Landlords, prospective buyers, and their representatives must be permitted access at reasonable dates and times agreed in advance with the tenant.

What will stay the same after 1 March 2026?

• Rents of pre 1 March 2026 tenancies cannot be reset to market.
• Tenants of pre 1 March 2026 tenancies will continue to enjoy the same security of tenure. Depending on when their tenancy began, they will either have the right to remain in the property for up to 6 years or they will have a tenancy of unlimited duration.
• The termination grounds for Landlords of pre 1 March 2026 tenancies remain unchanged. These include the following grounds:

1. Tenant Breach of Obligations – The tenant has failed to comply with their obligations under the tenancy, the landlord has notified the tenant in writing of the failure and allowed reasonable time to remedy it, and the tenant has not remedied the failure within that time.
2. Dwelling No Longer Suitable – The dwelling is no longer suitable to the accommodation needs of the tenant and household, having regard to the number of bed spaces and the size and composition of the occupying household.
3. Intention to Sell – The landlord intends to sell the property within 9 months.
4. Landlord or Family Occupation – The landlord requires the dwelling for their own occupation or for occupation by a family member.
5. Substantial Refurbishment or Renovation – The landlord intends to substantially refurbish or renovate the dwelling in a way that requires it to be vacated and any requisite planning permission has been obtained.
6. Change of Use – The landlord intends to change the use of the dwelling to another use, and any requisite planning permission has been obtained.

For grounds 3, 4, 5, and 6, landlords must offer the tenant the tenancy back if certain conditions are satisfied, including if the dwelling becomes available for reletting within specified timeframes.

• The “Tyrellstown amendment” will continue to apply. This prevents landlords from terminating large numbers of tenancies simultaneously in multi-unit developments to sell with vacant possession. Where a landlord proposes to sell ten or more units within a single development within six months, the sale must proceed with existing Part 4 tenants remaining in situ. The restriction does not apply where the landlord can satisfy the RTB that:
  • The price to be obtained by selling the dwelling subject to an existing tenancy is more than 20% below the market value that could be obtained with vacant possession, and
  • The application of the restriction would either:
    • be unduly onerous on the landlord, or
    • would cause undue hardship to the landlord.

New tenancies created on or after 1 March 2026 will be subject to the following provisions.

• The initial rent can be set in line with market values if it is the first letting of the property or if the property was vacant for the previous 2 years (1 year for protected structures) or if the previous tenant left voluntarily or due to the breach of their obligations or the tenancy was terminated because the property no longer met the tenant’s needs.
• Annual rent reviews will be capped at the lower of 2% or CPI (unless the property is a new apartment or SSA commenced after 10 June 2025 where annual rent increases will be capped by CPI only).
• The rent can be reset to market value at the end of year 6 (year 3 for SSA).
• Rent review notices must be copied to the RTB as well as the tenant.
• Landlords must have regard to the RTB rent register in setting and reviewing rent.
• Further details must be included in the application to register the tenancy.
• Tenancies of Minimum Duration (“TMDs”) will apply for new tenancies created on or after 1 March 2026. Once a tenant has lived in a property for 6 months and has not received a valid notice of termination, they will have the right to remain in the property for rolling 6 year terms provided they comply with their obligations.
• Large landlords (corporates or those with four or more tenancies) cannot terminate the tenancy on any grounds other than tenant breach or if the property is no longer suitable for the tenant’s needs.
• Small landlords (non-corporates with three or fewer tenancies) can terminate during each rolling 6 year TMD in very limited circumstances including to avoid undue financial or other hardship, where the property is needed for themselves, their spouse, parent or child or where the property is no longer suitable for the tenant’s needs.
• Small landlords (non-corporates with three or fewer tenancies) can terminate at the end of each rolling 6 year TMD on broader grounds including where they want to sell the property with vacant possession, where they intend to carry out substantial refurbishment or change the use of the property or where the small landlord requires the property for themselves or a family member.
• Large landlords who want to sell the property must do so with the tenant in situ.
• There will be greater transparency in the information submitted to the RTB which can be shared with other Government bodies.
• New procedural requirements which are set out in our outline of the procedural changes for landlords section.

The new rules introduced by the 2026 legislation will be tailored for student specific accommodation (“SSA”). Student licences or tenancies tend to change every year. The proposed new rules will not allow the resetting of rents in SSA on the commencement of each student licence. The rent for SSA will be reset to market value once every three years.

Key Provisions for Student-Specific Accommodation

• No 2% cap for rent increases in new SSA

The legislation provides for a new national rent control regime for residential tenancies with an annual rent increase restriction linked to the lower of Consumer Price Index (CPI) or 2% per annum. The 2% cap does not apply for SSA (and apartments) in respect of which a commencement notice was submitted and registered with the Building Control Authority on or after 10 June 2025.

This creates a more flexible rent increase regime for newly developed SSA. Whilst standard residential properties are capped at the lower of CPI or 2%, new student accommodation (and apartments) can increase rents in line with CPI without the 2% ceiling, potentially allowing higher increases in high-inflation periods.

•  Shorter Rent Reset Period

In respect of a new tenancy created on or after 1 March 2026, after 6 years during which the rent increase restriction applied to that tenancy, a landlord may reset the rent to market rent. However, in the case of SSA, this period is reduced to 3 years.

Landlords of SSA can reset rents to market levels after 3 years, compared to 6 years for standard residential properties. This significantly enhances the commercial viability of SSA developments by allowing more frequent alignment with market conditions.