Ireland rewrote the tenant rule book on 1 March 2026, and most online advice has not caught up. Search for tenant rights in Ireland and you will still find pages about Rent Pressure Zones and four-year cycles that no longer describe the law for a new lease. The rules below follow Citizens Information and the RTB as of October 2026.
What changed on 1 March 2026?
Every new tenancy is now a tenancy of minimum duration: after your first six months, you have security of tenure in cycles of six years. The aim is stability in a market where moving is expensive. A Rent Pressure Zone system that had covered parts of the country, then the whole country from 20 June 2025, was replaced on 28 February 2026 by a single nationwide rule on increases.
What your lease gives you depends on the date it began:
- From 1 March 2026: tenancy of minimum duration, six-year cycles.
- 11 June 2022 to 28 February 2026: tenancy of open-ended duration after six months.
- 25 December 2016 to 10 June 2022: six-year cycles (Part 4 tenancy).
How much can the rent go up?
The rule applies everywhere in the country. A landlord can raise your rent by no more than general inflation (the CPI), or 2% a year if inflation is higher. The increase can happen once a year, with at least 90 days' written notice. The RTB has a calculator that shows the permitted increase.
There is a narrow exception for new apartments and new student accommodation whose construction started from 10 June 2025: the cap is the CPI alone.
Given that the national inflation rate in September 2026 was 4.1% according to the Central Statistics Office, the 2% cap is the figure that matters today.
Can your landlord end your tenancy?
The grounds are limited. For tenancies from 1 March 2026:
- a larger landlord (four or more rented homes, or a company) can no longer end the tenancy to sell, to move in or to renovate;
- a small landlord can end a tenancy only for specified reasons, with a valid notice;
- disputes go to the RTB.
A tenant can challenge the validity of a notice in front of the RTB within 28 days of receiving it. Landlords can now send notices by email too.
If you received a notice and you are not sure it is valid, the deadline is short. Moovy can help you check the dates and fields to look for, and it can explain what the RTB asks for, but only the RTB can decide a dispute.
How much notice must you give?
As a tenant you send a written, signed notice of termination, with the date sent, the end date and a line saying the landlord can contest its validity at the RTB within 28 days. The RTB offers a template. The minimum notice you owe:
- 28 days if you have rented for under 6 months;
- 35 days from 6 months to 1 year;
- 42 days from 1 to 2 years;
- 56 days from 2 to 4 years;
- 84 days from 4 to 8 years;
- 112 days beyond 8 years;
- 28 days in student accommodation.
If you leave a fixed-term lease early, you can lose your deposit or owe rent to the end, unless a break clause, a landlord's agreement or the landlord's breach says otherwise.
What rights do you have during the tenancy?
The law gives you rights that a lease cannot take away. Among them: a written lease, a rent book if you ask for it, a valid and registered tenancy, an inventory, a decent standard of accommodation and a landlord who respects your privacy. The landlord must register the tenancy with the RTB within a month of the start, then renew each year. Without registration there is no Rent Tax Credit for you, which is why you should ask to see the registration (details in renting in Ireland).
The deposit follows one rule: no more than one month, and you get it back promptly after you leave, minus legitimate deductions for rent arrears, unpaid bills, damage beyond normal wear and tear, or short notice. The landlord cannot keep your belongings as security.
How do you resolve a dispute?
- Write to your landlord, say what the problem is, ask for a solution, and keep a copy.
- If that fails, take the dispute to the RTB's dispute resolution service, under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 as amended.
- For fraud, report it to the Garda.
What do students and people sharing a home need to know?
If you rent a room in the home of your landlord, you are outside the tenancy legislation: no RTB registration and no RTB dispute process. Students in purpose-built student accommodation have no security of tenure and a notice of 28 days. Their lease is limited to 41 weeks unless they request otherwise.
What do tenant rights in Ireland mean for a lease signed before 2026?
If your lease began before 1 March 2026, you keep the regime that applied when you signed. For tenancies created between 11 June 2022 and 28 February 2026, you have a tenancy of open-ended duration after six months. For tenancies from 25 December 2016 to 10 June 2022, you have six-year cycles. The rent cap now applies nationwide to everyone, but the grounds on which a landlord can end the tenancy differ with the date of your lease. When in doubt, ask the RTB to confirm which regime applies to you.
How do you calculate a permitted rent increase under tenant rights in Ireland?
Take the current rent. The landlord can raise it once a year, with 90 days' written notice, by the CPI change or 2%, whichever is lower. The RTB's calculator does the sum for your own rent and checks the date. If you receive a notice for more than the cap, write to the landlord quoting the rule and keep a copy, then use the RTB's dispute process if needed.
What should you do before a viewing to protect your tenant rights in Ireland?
- Ask whether the tenancy is registered with the RTB, and for the registration number.
- Check the rent against the RTB register for the area.
- Read the lease for break clauses and notice rules.
- Ask for the inventory and sign it.
- Pay only against a receipt, in a traceable way, after viewing.
The step-by-step process and the scams to avoid are in renting in Ireland. If the rent seems high compared with your budget, cost of living in Ireland places it among the other costs.
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Accepting a rent rise without checking the date and the notice. 90 days is the minimum.
- Ignoring a notice because you plan to leave anyway. The 28-day window to contest can protect your deposit.
- Assuming a landlord can evict you to sell. For a new tenancy, a large landlord cannot.
- Using old guidance. Many pages still describe Rent Pressure Zones.
If you are comparing places to live first, see best places to live in Ireland; if you are moving from Britain, remember that Irish rules differ, as set out in moving to Ireland from the UK.