Deposits and advance rent: the one-month caps

Since 9 August 2021 a landlord in Ireland may ask for a deposit of no more than one month's rent, and advance rent of no more than one month. That is the whole answer to "how much deposit for renting in Ireland": one month, plus up to one month's rent in advance, so at most two months' money before you move in. The cap comes from the Residential Tenancies (No. 2) Act 2021.

The landlord holds the deposit. The deposit protection scheme that the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 provided for, under which the RTB would hold deposits, has never been commenced. At the end of the tenancy the landlord must return the deposit promptly, less any lawful deductions, under s.12(1)(d) of the Act. There is no statutory number of days.

The deposit tool checks what you were asked for against the caps and, at the end of the tenancy, what has been deducted against the lawful list. This guide covers the Republic of Ireland only.

The two caps

"One month's rent" means the rent for a month under the agreement. If the rent is €1,839 a month, which is the RTB's Q1 2026 figure for a new tenancy, the deposit can be no more than €1,839 and the advance rent no more than €1,839. If the rent is weekly, the cap is a month's worth of it.

The cap is on the total deposit, whatever the parts are called. A pet deposit, a key deposit, a furniture deposit or a cleaning deposit on top of one month's rent takes the total over the cap. The same goes for a "holding deposit" that is not credited against the first month and the deposit. If you pay a holding deposit to secure the home, get it in writing that it becomes part of the deposit or the first month's rent when you move in.

Student-specific accommodation is the one exception. A student paying rent and fees to the same college is outside the caps. A student renting from a private provider is inside them.

If you are asked for more

A landlord or agent who asks for more than the caps is in breach of the Act. The practical difficulty is that the request comes when you want the home and are afraid of losing it. There is no good way round that, but there are three things worth knowing.

First, you cannot agree your way out of the cap. A clause in the lease saying you agreed to a two-month deposit does not make it lawful. Second, the RTB can hear a dispute about it. A breach of the landlord's obligations is a matter for an RTB dispute, and the RTB can direct the landlord to return money held in breach of the Act. Third, since 14 September 2026 the RTB can issue a fixed payment notice to a landlord for certain breaches. The RTB has an interest in hearing about it even where you decide not to bring a dispute.

If you have already paid more, write to the landlord asking for the excess back and keep a copy. The letter builder has a confirm-in-writing letter you can adapt. If the money does not come back, the route is a dispute at the RTB. Mediation is free. Keep paying the rent in full throughout.

What the deposit is for

The deposit is security for three things: rent you owe at the end, bills you owed under the agreement and did not pay, and damage beyond normal wear and tear. It is not a fund for the landlord's refurbishment, for cleaning to a higher standard than you found the home in, or for anything the landlord did not put in writing. What a landlord may deduct goes through the line.

Because the landlord holds the deposit, your evidence at the start decides the argument at the end. Take dated photographs of every room on the day you move in, agree an inventory with the landlord, and record the meter readings. Get a receipt for the deposit that states the amount and the date. If you paid by bank transfer, the statement is a receipt; if you paid in cash, insist on a written one.

Getting it back at the end

The Act says the deposit must be returned promptly. The RTB reads that in the ordinary sense: soon after the tenancy ends and the keys are returned, with any deductions explained. There is no statutory number of days, and a landlord who tells you the law allows 30 or 60 days is not quoting the Act. The site uses 14 days as a planning figure for a written request, and that is an assumption rather than a rule.

If the deposit is not returned, or is returned short without a written reason, you can refer a dispute to the RTB. Mediation is free and private. Adjudication costs €30 and, since 14 September 2026, the hearing is public and the published report names both parties. The RTB can order the deposit returned in whole or in part. Getting your deposit back covers the steps, and the deposit journey puts them in order.

The scheme that never came

The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 contains a deposit protection scheme. Under it the landlord would lodge the deposit with the RTB, which would hold it for the tenancy and pay it out at the end on the parties' agreement or a determination. The sections were passed in 2015 and have never been commenced by ministerial order. Eleven years on, the landlord still holds the deposit, and the only protection is the Act's obligation to return it promptly and the RTB's dispute process.

Searches for "deposit protection scheme ireland" sometimes pick up the English, Scottish and Northern Irish schemes, where a landlord must lodge a deposit with an approved scheme within a set time. None of them applies in the Republic.

Digs, rent-a-room and licences

If you rent a room in the owner's own home, you are a licensee and the Act does not apply. The caps do not apply either, and nor does the RTB's dispute process. A deposit is a matter of contract, so get the amount and the terms for its return in writing before you pay. Licensees and lodgers explains what rights a licensee does have.

Where this leaves you

The deposit is one month's rent, advance rent is one month, and the caps apply even if you signed something saying otherwise. The landlord holds the deposit, because the 2015 scheme was never commenced, and must return it promptly at the end less arrears, unpaid bills and damage beyond wear and tear. Your protection is a receipt, an inventory and dated photographs on day one. If you were asked for more, write for the excess back and refer a dispute to the RTB if it does not come. Run the deposit tool now, while the figures are fresh, and ring Threshold on 1800 454 454 if the landlord will not budge.