Tenant rights in Ireland - the RTB, rent control and ending a tenancy

Landlords must register every tenancy with the RTB and update the registration every year. You can check the RTB register to see whether your tenancy is registered. Since 14 September 2026, the RTB can issue fixed payment notices (fines of €100, or €200 for rent breaches) to landlords for six breaches, including failing to register a tenancy, setting rent above the legal limit and serving a rent review notice incorrectly.

You gain security of tenure once you have lived in the property for six continuous months without receiving a valid notice of termination. In the first six months, any landlord can end the tenancy for any reason, but the notice of termination must state the reason and a copy must also go to the RTB.

Tenancies created from 1 March 2026 then run in six-year cycles (a tenancy of minimum duration):

• A landlord with 4 or more tenancies (or a company) can only end the tenancy if you breach your obligations or the property no longer suits your needs.
• A landlord with 1 to 3 tenancies can also end it during the six years if they must sell to avoid undue hardship or if they or a close family member need to live there, and at the end of a six-year cycle to sell, refurbish substantially, change use, or for a wider circle of family.

Tenancies created before 1 March 2026 can be ended at any time for six reasons: breach of obligations, the property no longer suiting your needs, the landlord or a family member moving in, sale, substantial refurbishment, or change of use. Fixed-term leases do not reduce these protections.

From 1 March 2026, Rent Pressure Zones were replaced by a national rent control system covering all private tenancies and student-specific accommodation. Rent can only be increased once a year, by 2% or by inflation (CPI) if that is lower. Exceptions: new apartments where construction started from 10 June 2025 can increase in line with CPI without the 2% cap; Approved Housing Body and cost rental tenancies are outside the national rules.

Rent can only be reset to market level in limited cases: at the start of a new tenancy (if the previous tenant left by choice, breached their obligations or the property no longer suited them), at the end of a six-year cycle, or if the property was not let for two years. It cannot be reset after a "no-fault" termination. For tenancies created before 1 March 2026, resetting to market rent is not allowed unless the property was substantially refurbished.

When setting rent, the landlord must give you a rent setting notice with three comparable rents from the RTB Rent Register. If you think your rent is above the legal limit, you can open a dispute with the RTB or report the landlord. An RTB adjudicator or tribunal can order repayment of overpaid rent and award damages of up to €20,000.

A deposit cannot be more than one month's rent. Get a signed, dated receipt. The landlord must return it as soon as possible after the tenancy ends, but may keep some or all of it for rent arrears, unpaid bills you were responsible for, damage beyond normal wear and tear, or if you did not give proper notice. A landlord cannot hold your belongings against money you owe.

You do not need a reason to end a tenancy, but you must give a valid written notice of termination (letter or email), signed and dated, with the date the tenancy will end. The minimum notice depends on how long you have lived there:

• less than 6 months: 28 days
• 6 months to 1 year: 35 days
• 1 to 2 years: 42 days
• 2 to 4 years: 56 days
• 4 to 8 years: 84 days
• 8 years or more: 112 days

Shorter notice is possible in some cases: 28 days in student-specific accommodation; 28 days if your landlord has breached their obligations and has not fixed the problem within a reasonable time after you wrote to them; 7 days if there is a serious risk to life, safety or the structure. Ending a fixed-term lease early without a break clause or agreement can cost you your deposit or the remaining rent. The RTB provides notice templates.

• Landlords now send the RTB a copy of a notice of termination or rent review within 7 days of serving it on you; the date of service is the date you receive it.
• Termination notices should not be sent to you by post; landlords are advised to email or hand-deliver them.
• RTB adjudication hearings are public for disputes lodged from 14 September 2026, and full reports, including names and addresses, are published. Mediation stays private.
• Appeals from mediation to a tribunal now have a 10-working-day deadline.

Try to resolve issues in writing with your landlord first. If that fails, you can apply to the RTB dispute resolution service for mediation or adjudication, or report a landlord for investigation. Threshold, a national housing charity, gives free and confidential advice to renters, including on whether a notice is valid.