TenantWise

Guides · 73

Renting in Ireland, chapter by chapter

Each guide is written in plain English for the person paying the rent, cites the Act or the official page it comes from, and carries the date it was last checked. The figures in them are the figures the tools use.

Checked 27 OCT 2026 · the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2026

Chapter 1

Starting a tenancy

Your rights from day one, the agreement, the one-month caps, the rent book, the RTB registration, references, scams, pets and the rent-setting statement.

  1. Deposits and advance rent: the one-month capsSince August 2021 a deposit and advance rent are each capped at one month. What happens if you are asked for more, and the uncommenced 2015 scheme.
  2. References: what a landlord may ask forBank statements, PPSN, work permits, employer letters: what is reasonable, what is not, and the data-protection rules that apply.
  3. Rental scams in Ireland: how to spot oneThe deposit-before-viewing scam, the fake landlord abroad, the copied listing. The checks to run and where to report it.
  4. Renting with pets in Ireland: what the law saysThere is no right to keep a pet; a lease may forbid it. What a landlord can enforce, and how to ask.
  5. RTB registration: how to check it and why it mattersHow to check the register, what an unregistered tenancy means for your rights and the rent tax credit, and what the RTB does about it.
  6. Tenancy agreements in Ireland: what must be in oneWhat a lease must contain, what it cannot take away, fixed-term versus periodic, and the clauses to question before you sign.
  7. Tenant rights in Ireland 2026: the complete guideEvery right a private renter has in Ireland in 2026: security of tenure, rent limits, deposits, repairs, privacy, notices and the RTB, with the Act beside each.
  8. The rent book: your right to one, and a free templateEvery tenant is entitled to a rent book or equivalent record under the 1993 Regulations. What it must show, and a printable one.
  9. The rent-setting statement from March 2026At the start of a 2026 tenancy the landlord must tell you and the RTB the previous rent, when it was set and three comparable rents. What to do with it.

Chapter 2

Rent

The 2% or CPI cap since 1 March 2026, what replaced Rent Pressure Zones, the review notice, when rent can be reset to market, the new-build rule, challenging an increase and the Rent Index.

  1. Average rent in Ireland 2026: the RTB Rent Index explainedNew tenancies €1,839 a month, existing €1,513 in Q1 2026. What the Index measures, by county, and why sitting tenants pay less.
  2. Challenging a rent increase at the RTBThe letter, the time limit, how a dispute pauses the review, and the repayment and damages the RTB can order.
  3. New-build apartments and student housing: the CPI-only ruleApartments and student accommodation started after 10 June 2025 may rise with CPI with no 2% ceiling. How to tell if yours is one.
  4. Rent increase rules in Ireland from 1 March 2026Once a year, by 2% or CPI, whichever is lower, nationwide. The 24-month rule for new RPZ areas, the new-build exception and the reset rules.
  5. Rent pressure zones: what they were and what replaced themRPZs ended on 28 February 2026. What the national cap is, why 'is my town an RPZ' no longer matters, and the one transitional rule that does.
  6. The 2% or CPI cap: this month's figureHow the cap is worked out, which CPI figure applies to your review date, and the RTB calculator as the official check.
  7. The rent review notice: 90 days and three comparablesWhat a valid rent review notice must contain, the copy to the RTB within 7 days, and what makes one invalid.
  8. When rent can be reset to market, and when it cannotThe six-year reset for 2026 tenancies, the endings that allow a reset, the two-year bar after a no-fault termination, and pre-2026 tenancies.

Chapter 3

Your landlord's obligations

Repairs, mould and damp, the 2019 minimum standards, the local authority inspection, privacy, entry and viewings, and what counts as harassment.

  1. Can a landlord enter without permission? Privacy and viewingsPeaceful and exclusive occupation, entry by arrangement, emergencies, and the 2026 rule on viewings for a sale. What to do about unannounced visits.
  2. Landlord harassment: what counts and what to doThreats, cut-offs, repeated entry, pressure to leave: improper conduct the RTB investigates, how to record it and the damages route.
  3. Landlord obligations in Ireland: the full listRegistration, repairs, standards, insurance, privacy, the rent book, the rent-setting statement and the fixed penalties since September 2026.
  4. Minimum standards for rented housing: the 2019 RegulationsHeating, hot water, ventilation, fire safety, food preparation, laundry, pests, electricity and gas: what every rented home must have.
  5. Mould and damp in a rented home: your rightsWho is responsible for mould, what the minimum standards say about ventilation and damp, and how to get it fixed or inspected.
  6. Rented housing inspections: how to ask for oneThe local authority inspects rented homes against the standards. How to request an inspection, what happens next, and the HAP inspection rule.
  7. Repairs in a rented home: who fixes what, and how fastThe landlord's duty to repair, what counts as reasonable time, what you may fix and reclaim, and the RTB route when nothing happens.

Chapter 4

Security of tenure

Part 4 tenancies and the six-month rule, the six-year cycle from March 2026, older tenancies, smaller and larger landlords, fixed-term leases, subletting and what happens when the landlord dies or a receiver arrives.

  1. Fixed-term versus periodic tenanciesA fixed term does not remove Part 4 rights. What it changes about leaving early, renewals and notice.
  2. Part 4 tenancies and the six-month ruleAfter six months without a valid notice you have Part 4 rights. What they are, how the cycles work, and what changed in 2022 and 2026.
  3. Smaller and larger landlords: why it decides your rightsThree or fewer tenancies, or four or more or a company. The grounds each can use, how to find out which you have, and the letter to the RTB.
  4. Subletting, assignment and changing the names on a shareWhen you need consent, the refusal that lets you leave a fixed term, and what happens when one housemate goes.
  5. Tenancies of minimum duration: the six-year cycle from 2026For tenancies that began on or after 1 March 2026: the six-year cycle, what a landlord can do during it and at the end, and the rent reset.
  6. Tenancies that began before 1 March 2026: what still appliesThe old grounds still apply to older tenancies, landlord size does not matter, and the rent can never be reset to market while the tenancy lasts.
  7. When the landlord dies, a receiver is appointed or the bank repossessesThe tenancy continues. Who you pay, who can serve notice, and what a receiver may and may not do.

Chapter 5

Notices and eviction

What a valid notice must contain, the notice periods, the 7-day RTB copy rule, a landlord selling or moving family in, the hardship sale, arrears warnings, illegal eviction, overholding and the day the notice runs out.

  1. Anti-social behaviour and the 7-day noticeWhat serious anti-social behaviour means, why no warning is needed, the high standard of proof, and how to dispute one.
  2. Illegal eviction, lock-outs and cut-offsChanging the locks, cutting the power, removing belongings: improper conduct the RTB investigates. What to do today, the Gardaí, and damages up to €20,000.
  3. Landlord or family moving in: the ground and the declarationWho counts as family during and after the six-year cycle, the statutory declaration, the re-letting offer, and how to check the claim.
  4. Landlord selling: your rights as the tenantLarger landlords cannot end a 2026 tenancy to sell. Smaller landlords need hardship or the end of a cycle. Pre-2026 tenancies, viewings and tenant in situ.
  5. Notice of termination: what a valid notice must containIn writing, signed, dated, the termination date, the reason, the RTB-dispute statement, the statutory declaration and the copy to the RTB within 7 days.
  6. Notice periods for tenants in 2026: 90 to 224 daysThe notice a landlord must give by tenancy length, the 28-day breach notice, the 7-day anti-social notice, and what the termination date means.
  7. Overholding: what it is and what happensStaying past a valid termination date. The landlord's lawful route, the risks for the tenant, and why neither side may take the law into its own hands.
  8. Rent arrears warning notices and the 28 daysThe warning notice, the 28 days to pay in full, the 28-day termination notice that may follow, and the 28-day dispute window.
  9. Substantial refurbishment and change of useWhat counts as substantial, the engineer's certificate, the three-week vacant-possession test, and the right to be offered the home back.
  10. The 7-day RTB copy rule and service by emailSince 14 September 2026 the RTB must get a copy within 7 days or the notice may be invalid, and notices should not be posted. The 2026 High Court case explained.
  11. The day the notice runs out: emergency helpThe local authority homeless service, Threshold, Focus Ireland and the Peter McVerry Trust. What to bring, what to ask, and what not to sign.
  12. The hardship sale ground for smaller landlordsA principal residence, a debt over 15% of the price due within nine months, or insolvency. Retirement alone is not hardship.

Chapter 6

Ending it yourself

Giving notice, breaking a fixed-term lease, getting the deposit back, what a landlord may deduct, the moving-out checklist and references for the next tenancy.

  1. Breaking a fixed-term lease in IrelandThe break clause, the assignment request that lets you leave if refused, the penalties a landlord can and cannot claim.
  2. Getting your deposit back: 'promptly' and the RTBThere is no number of days in the Act. What promptly means in practice, the letter, and the free and €30 RTB routes.
  3. Giving notice to your landlord: periods and the letter28 to 112 days by tenancy length, how to serve it so the date is provable, and the letter.
  4. References for your next tenancyWhat a landlord reference should say, what to do if the landlord refuses, and the other proof that works.
  5. The moving-out checklist for rentersNotice served and proved, final readings, photographs, keys returned with a note, forwarding address, the deposit request.
  6. What a landlord may deduct, and wear and tearArrears, unpaid bills, damage beyond wear and tear. Not cleaning to a higher standard, not the landlord's upgrades. Evidence that wins.

Chapter 7

The RTB process

How to apply, the fees and time limits, mediation, adjudication and tribunal, public hearings since September 2026, evidence, determination orders, damages and appeals.

  1. Appealing to an RTB tribunal within 10 working daysThe deadline, the fee, the new evidence rule, the three-person panel and the published report.
  2. Determination orders and enforcement in the District CourtWhat an order is, the landlord who ignores it, how the RTB can take the case for you, and the Circuit Court route.
  3. How to make an RTB dispute applicationThe online form, the fee, what to upload, the evidence rules and what happens after you apply. Links to the RTB's own portal; nothing is filed here.
  4. Mediation, adjudication or tribunal: which to choosePrivate and free, or public and binding. How each works, how long each takes, and when a tribunal is worth it.
  5. RTB damages: what is actually awardedThe €20,000 cap, the published averages, proven loss versus distress, and the receipts that change the figure.
  6. RTB evidence: what to bring and how to present itPhotographs, messages, the rent book, the notice, witnesses. How to order it, what the adjudicator looks for, and what not to send.
  7. RTB fees and time limitsMediation free, adjudication €30, tribunal €30 or €85. 90 days for a notice, 28 for a breach notice, 10 working days to appeal.
  8. RTB hearings are public since 14 September 2026Adjudication reports now name both parties and the address. What that means for you, and why mediation stays private.

Chapter 8

Money and supports

The rent tax credit, HAP, Rent Supplement, arrears help, the tenant-in-situ scheme, cost rental, social housing support and the Additional Needs Payment.

  1. Cost rental: what it is and how to applyBelow-market rents from AHBs and the LDA, the income limits, the lottery, and the rules that do and do not apply to cost-rental tenants.
  2. HAP in 2026: limits, discretion and the top-upHow HAP works, the 2017 limits and the 35% discretion, the rent you pay the council and the top-up to the landlord, and the can't-refuse rule.
  3. Rent arrears: where to get helpMABS, the Additional Needs Payment, a HAP review, talking to the landlord in writing, and the 28 days that stop a termination.
  4. Rent Supplement: who still gets itFor people not on the housing list. The rules, the rates and how it differs from HAP.
  5. Social housing support and the HAP 'can't refuse' ruleApplying for social housing support, what it opens up, and the Equal Status ground that stops a landlord refusing HAP.
  6. The Additional Needs Payment for a rent shortfallA once-off payment for a deposit, arrears or a move. Who to ask, what to bring, and how it is decided.
  7. The rent tax credit: how to claim for 2024 to 2027€1,000 or €2,000 for 2025 and 2026, €1,150 or €2,300 for 2027. The RTB number rule, the licence exception, students, HAP, and the four-year look-back.
  8. The tenant-in-situ scheme in 2026When a council can buy your home after a sale notice, the 2026 funding ceiling, the reasonable-offer rule and how to apply.

Chapter 9

Sharing, students and special cases

Licensees and lodgers, rent-a-room from the lodger's side, student accommodation, digs, short lets, AHB and cost-rental tenants, and renting on a work permit.

  1. Approved Housing Body and cost-rental tenantsUnder the RTB, but with different rent rules. What applies to you and what does not.
  2. Digs: what you are agreeing toDigs are a licence in the owner's home. What to agree in writing, what the rent-a-room scheme means for the host, and the rent credit.
  3. Licensees and lodgers: the rights you do and do not haveIf you live in the owner's home you are a licensee, not a tenant. What the Act does not give you, what contract and reasonable notice do.
  4. Renting a room in someone's home: the lodger's positionThe rent-a-room scheme from the lodger's side: no RTB, no Part 4, the rent tax credit still claimable, and the notice that is reasonable.
  5. Renting on a work permit or as a new arrivalProof of address, the registered tenancy and the rent tax credit, references without an Irish history, and the rent agreement an immigration application accepts.
  6. Short-term and Airbnb-style lets: are you a tenant?When a short let becomes a tenancy, what the Act says about holiday lettings, and the 2026 short-term letting register.
  7. Student accommodation: the 41-week rule and your rightsStudent-specific accommodation is under the RTB: 41 weeks maximum, the deposit cap, the 2% or CPI cap, and the three-year reset from 2029.

Chapter 10

Boundary and reference

What this site does not cover: Northern Ireland and commercial tenancies, and where to go for them.

  1. Commercial tenancies are not covered hereShops, offices and farms are under different Acts. The five-year question explained in two paragraphs, and where to go.