Chapter 2 of 10 · Rent · 2 of 8
Challenging a rent increase at the RTB
The letter, the time limit, how a dispute pauses the review, and the repayment and damages the RTB can order.
Checked 27 OCT 2026 · 4 sourcesWritten in plain English for the person paying the rent. This guide covers the Republic of Ireland only.
You can refer a rent increase to the RTB, and the RTB can order rent paid over the cap repaid with damages of up to €20,000. The time limit is 28 days before the new rent is due to start. A dispute referred in time pauses the review, so the rent stays where it was until the RTB decides.
Two things come first. Check the notice against the cap, so that you know what is wrong with it. And keep paying the current rent, in full and on time, because arrears would give the landlord a ground they did not have. The rent increase checker does the first; the second is up to you.
First, find what is wrong with the notice
A rent review can fail in five places. The checker tests the first three and dates the other two.
| Question | The rule |
|---|---|
| The frequency | Once in any 12 months from the date the rent was last set (24 under the transitional rule for late RPZ areas) |
| The figure | No more than the lower of 2% and the annual CPI change: 2%, because the September 2026 CPI of 4.1% is above it |
| Market rent | The new rent cannot be above market, shown by three comparables from the Rent Register begun within three months |
| The notice | At least 90 days, in the prescribed form, with the RTB calculator printout and the comparables |
| The RTB copy | Within 7 days of service since 14 September 2026 |
A notice that fails any of these may be invalid, and a defective notice does not change the rent. The rent review notice takes each item in turn, and the 2% or CPI cap gives this month's figure.
Run the same rent and dates through the RTB's rent calculator and keep the printout. If the landlord's printout and yours differ, the difference is your case.
The letter to the landlord
Write before you apply. A letter that sets out the defect, in plain terms, resolves many reviews without the RTB. It also shows the RTB that you tried.
The letter builder has a rent review letter. It says which requirement the notice fails, gives the figure the cap allows, states that you will keep paying the current rent, and asks the landlord to withdraw or correct the notice by a date. Send it by email so that the date is on it, and keep a copy in your tenancy file.
Do not sign anything that accepts the new rent while you are disputing it, and do not agree a figure on the phone. If the landlord offers a lower figure, ask for it in a fresh notice that meets the Act.
The time limit: 28 days before the new rent starts
The window for stopping a review is 28 days before the date the new rent is due to take effect. Count back 28 days from that date, and refer the dispute before you reach it. The checker gives the last day.
Rent you have already paid over the cap is a different matter. The general time limit for an RTB dispute is six years, so a tenant who has been paying over the cap for some time can still claim it back. The 28 days are about pausing a review before it starts; they are not the limit on recovering money already paid.
If the 28 days have passed, apply anyway. The RTB can still decide that the review was not valid and order repayment. What you lose is the pause.
How to apply
Apply online on rtb.ie. Nothing is filed on this site, and the RTB's portal is the only place an application is made. How to make an RTB dispute application walks through the form.
Mediation comes first if both sides agree. It is free, it is private, and the outcome is an agreement between the parties rather than a published report. Adjudication costs €30. For applications made from 14 September 2026 the adjudication hearing is public, and the published report names both parties and the address. RTB hearings are public since 14 September 2026 explains what that means for you.
Either side may appeal to a three-person tribunal within 10 working days: €30 after mediation, €85 after adjudication. The RTB's Annual Report 2024 gives the average duration that year as about 7 weeks for mediation, 17 for adjudication and 15 for a tribunal.
The dispute pauses the review
A dispute referred in time stops the new rent taking effect until the RTB decides. The rent stays at the current figure, and you keep paying it. The determination order says what the lawful rent is and from when, and whether any sum is owed either way.
If the RTB finds the review was valid and within the cap, the new rent applies from the date in the order. If it finds the review failed, the rent stays where it was, and the landlord's course is a fresh notice that meets the Act, with a fresh 90 days.
What the RTB can order
The RTB can declare the review invalid or the figure over the cap, direct the rent the Act allows, order rent paid over the cap repaid to you, and award damages of up to €20,000. The published figures show that damages are far lower than the cap in most cases, because the RTB compensates loss it can see rather than distress. RTB damages: what is actually awarded has the figures.
Since 14 September 2026 the RTB can also serve the landlord with a fixed payment notice of €200 for a rent breach. That is a penalty the RTB collects, separate from your dispute, and it is not paid to you.
A determination order is enforced in the District Court, and the RTB can take the case for you. Determination orders and enforcement covers what happens if the landlord does not pay.
What to bring
Bring the review notice, its attachments, and the envelope or email it came in. Bring your own RTB calculator printout, and the checker's result. Bring the rent-setting statement from the start of the tenancy if you have one, and the rent book or bank statements showing what you have paid. Bring your letter to the landlord and any reply.
Where the comparables are the issue, bring your own evidence of market rent. The RTB's published figures for your county are on the county pages, and any registered tenancies you know of that are closer to yours help too. RTB evidence: what to bring sets out how to present it.
Keep paying, and stay put
A rent dispute is not a reason to move out, and it is not a reason to stop paying. The Act protects a tenant who refuses an unlawful increase; it does not protect a tenant in arrears. Pay the current rent on the usual day, and keep the record.
If a notice of termination arrives after you dispute the rent, run it through the notice checker and ring Threshold the same day. A dispute at the RTB is not a ground for ending a tenancy.
Where this leaves you
A rent review that fails the Act may be invalid, and a figure over the cap can be ordered repaid with damages of up to €20,000. Your steps are in order. Check the notice against the cap, write to the landlord, keep paying the current rent, and refer the dispute to the RTB at least 28 days before the new rent would start. Ring Threshold on 1800 454 454 before any solicitor; the advisers are free and they handle rent disputes every day. If the sum at stake is large, the solicitor page explains when paid advice is worth it.
Questions people ask
How long do I have to dispute a rent increase?
Refer the dispute to the RTB at least 28 days before the new rent is due to start. The review is paused while the dispute runs. Rent you have already paid over the cap can generally be claimed back for up to six years, but the 28 days are the window for stopping a review before it takes effect.
Do I have to pay the new rent while the dispute is running?
No. A dispute referred in time pauses the review, and the rent stays where it was until the RTB decides. Keep paying the current rent in full and on time. Do not stop paying, and do not pay the new figure and hope to claim it back.
What can the RTB order about a rent increase?
The RTB can find that the review was not valid or that the figure was over the cap, direct the lawful rent, order rent paid over the cap repaid, and award damages of up to €20,000. Since 14 September 2026 the RTB can also serve the landlord with a fixed payment notice of €200 for a rent breach. That penalty is the RTB's, not a sum paid to you.
Does a rent dispute cost anything?
Mediation is free and private. Adjudication costs €30 and, for applications made from 14 September 2026, the hearing is public and the published report names both parties and the address. An appeal to a tribunal within 10 working days costs €30 after mediation or €85 after adjudication.
Can my landlord end the tenancy because I disputed the rent?
Referring a dispute to the RTB is a right under the Act, and it is not a ground for ending a tenancy. What would give the landlord a ground is rent arrears, which is why you keep paying the current rent. If a notice of termination arrives after you dispute, run it through the notice checker and ring Threshold.