Chapter 7 of 10 · The RTB process · 2 of 8
Determination orders and enforcement in the District Court
What an order is, the landlord who ignores it, how the RTB can take the case for you, and the Circuit Court route.
Checked 27 OCT 2026 · 4 sourcesPublic hearings. Since 14 September 2026 adjudication hearings are public and the published report names both parties and the address. Mediation stays private. Choose between them knowing that.
Written in plain English for the person paying the rent. This guide covers the Republic of Ireland only.
A determination order is the document that ends an RTB dispute. It records the decision of the adjudicator, the tribunal or the mediated agreement, and it binds both parties. An order for money names the sum and the date it must be paid by. An order to do something, such as return a deposit, carry out a repair or restore a tenant to the dwelling, names the step and the deadline.
Most landlords comply. Where one does not, the order is enforced in the District Court, and the RTB can bring the application for you, in its own name, at no cost to you. Not complying with a determination order is also an offence that the RTB can prosecute.
Ring Threshold on 1800 454 454, Monday to Friday 9am to 9pm, as soon as the deadline in the order passes without payment. The advisers know the enforcement route and what to send the RTB. You do not need a solicitor for the RTB's part of it; the process is built for self-representation.
What the order is, and when it issues
A determination order issues in one of three ways. After mediation, on the terms the parties agreed, once the cooling-off period has passed. After adjudication, on the adjudicator's decision, once the 10 working days to appeal have run with no appeal. After a tribunal, on the tribunal's determination. In each case the RTB issues the order under Part 6 of the Act, and it is the order, not the report, that is enforced.
Read the order on the day it arrives. Check the sum, the date, and the names and the address. If there is a clerical error, write to the RTB at once; a wrong figure in an order is harder to fix after the deadline has passed. Put the compliance date in your tenancy file.
The order is also a public record. Since 14 September 2026 the adjudication report that underlies it names both parties, and the RTB has long published determination orders. A landlord who does not pay is a landlord with a published order against their name.
When the landlord does not comply
Wait for the date in the order. The day after it, write to the landlord with a copy of the order, state that the date has passed, and ask for payment or the step within a short period, seven days say. Keep it plain and keep a copy; the letter builder has a confirm-in-writing format you can adapt.
If nothing comes, ask the RTB to enforce the order. The RTB has an enforcement process for determination orders that are not complied with. You start it by contacting the RTB with the case reference, a copy of the order, and a short statement that the landlord has not complied. The RTB writes to the landlord demanding compliance, and a good many landlords pay at that letter.
Where the landlord still does not comply, the RTB can apply to the District Court in its own name for an order directing the landlord to comply. That is s.124 of the Act, and it is the route most tenants use, because the RTB carries the application and the cost. You may be asked to give evidence of non-compliance, usually a short statement that the sum was not paid.
You can also apply to the District Court yourself under the same section. That is faster where the RTB's list is long, but you carry the application, and a solicitor is worth considering for it. The solicitor page explains when one is worth the cost.
The District Court
Enforcement moved to the District Court under the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015. Before that the Circuit Court heard it, which was slower and dearer, and the change was made so that orders for the sums the RTB typically awards could be enforced cheaply.
The District Court does not reopen the dispute. The landlord cannot argue that the adjudicator was wrong about the deposit or the notice; those arguments belonged to the tribunal and the High Court, and their windows have passed. The court asks whether there is a valid determination order, whether it was complied with, and whether there is any lawful reason not to enforce it. If not, the court makes an order directing compliance.
A court order can then be enforced like any other civil judgment: the sum becomes a debt the ordinary enforcement procedures apply to. The RTB will tell you what follows in your case.
The Circuit Court route
The Circuit Court still appears in three places. It hears an appeal from a District Court enforcement decision, which is rare. It was the enforcement court before the 2015 Act, so older material on the RTB's site and in judgments refers to it. And where an order is for a sum beyond the District Court's civil jurisdiction, the RTB will say which court the application goes to. For a tenant the practical point is the same: ask the RTB to enforce, and it will apply to the right court.
The High Court is different. It hears an appeal from a tribunal determination on a point of law only, within 21 days under s.123, before the order issues. That is not enforcement; it is the last appeal.
Prosecution for non-compliance
Not complying with a determination order is an offence under s.126 of the Act. The RTB can prosecute, and a conviction carries a fine. Prosecution is the RTB's decision, not yours, and it does not itself put the money in your account; the District Court enforcement application does that. Tell the RTB about non-compliance and let it decide whether to prosecute as well.
Where the order was for a tenant to be restored to the dwelling after a lock-out, and the landlord ignores it, treat the situation as an emergency. Ring Threshold, and ring the Gardaí on 999 if there is any danger. Illegal eviction, lock-outs and cut-offs covers the immediate steps.
If the order is against you
A landlord's application can end in an order against a tenant, most often for rent arrears or for damage. The same rules apply: the order binds you, the RTB can enforce it, and ignoring it is an offence. If you cannot pay the sum by the date, contact the RTB and the landlord before the date, propose a payment plan in writing, and ring MABS on 0818 07 2000. The arrears planner sets out the figures against the dates. An order for possession after a valid termination date is the landlord's lawful route, and only the court, not the landlord, can enforce it.
Where this leaves you
A determination order binds both parties and names a sum or a step and a date. If the landlord lets the date pass, write once, then ask the RTB to enforce, and the RTB can apply to the District Court in its own name at no cost to you. The court does not reopen the dispute; it asks only whether the order was obeyed. Non-compliance is also an offence the RTB can prosecute. Keep the order, your letter and the RTB's reply in your tenancy file, and ring Threshold on 1800 454 454 the day the deadline passes. How to make an RTB dispute application covers the steps that come before the order.
Questions people ask
What is an RTB determination order?
The legally binding order the RTB issues at the end of a dispute. It records what the adjudicator, tribunal or mediated agreement decided, such as a sum to be paid or a step to be taken, and the date by which it must be done. It binds both parties, and a party who does not comply can be taken to the District Court.
What happens if my landlord ignores a determination order?
You can ask the RTB to enforce it for you. The RTB can apply to the District Court in its own name for an order directing the landlord to comply, at no cost to you. You can also apply to the District Court yourself. Failing to comply with a determination order is also an offence that the RTB can prosecute.
How long does enforcement take?
There is no fixed period. The RTB first writes to the landlord to demand compliance, and many landlords pay at that point. Where a court application is needed, the time depends on the District Court's list in the area. Keep the order, the RTB's letters and every reply in your tenancy file.
Can the landlord appeal a determination order?
Not the order itself. The appeal stages are a tribunal within 10 working days of an adjudication report, and then the High Court on a point of law only, within 21 days of the tribunal's determination. Once those windows have passed, the order stands and the only question is compliance.
Does an order for money carry interest?
The determination order sets the sum and the date for payment. If the landlord does not pay and the District Court makes an order, the court can direct payment and the usual court enforcement follows. Ask the RTB when you request enforcement; it will tell you what the court can add.