Chapter 5 of 10 · Notices and eviction · 6 of 12
Notice periods for tenants in 2026: 90 to 224 days
The 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.
Checked 27 OCT 2026 · 3 sourcesWritten in plain English for the person paying the rent. This guide covers the Republic of Ireland only.
The notice a landlord must give you depends on how long you have been in the tenancy on the day the notice is served. It runs from 90 days for a tenancy under six months to 224 days once you have been there for eight years or more. The Table to section 66 of the Residential Tenancies Act sets the bands, and they are the same for smaller and larger landlords.
Two shorter periods sit outside the table. A breach of your obligations, after a written warning, carries 28 days. Serious anti-social behaviour carries 7 days with no warning. The notice you give your landlord is shorter again, from 28 days to 112 days, and has its own table below.
The notice checker works out the band you were in on the date of service, the earliest lawful termination date and the last day to refer a dispute. This guide gives the two tables and explains what each figure means in practice.
Landlord to tenant: the s.66 table
| Length of tenancy on the date of service | Notice the landlord must give |
|---|---|
| Less than 6 months | 90 days |
| 6 months to 1 year | 152 days |
| 1 year to 7 years | 180 days |
| 7 years to 8 years | 196 days |
| 8 years or more | 224 days |
The length of the tenancy is measured on the date of service, which is the day the notice reaches you. A tenancy that passes a year during the notice period does not move up a band. The band is fixed on the day the notice is served, and the tenancy timeline shows which band you are in today and when it next changes.
The period is counted from the day after the date of service. A notice served on 1 November with 180 days to run reaches its termination date on 30 April, and you have the whole of that day. A notice served in the first six months may give more than 90 days, but the Act caps it at 120.
A landlord can always give more notice than the table requires. A notice that gives fewer days than the table requires does not meet section 66 and may be invalid on your answers. An invalid notice does not end the tenancy; the landlord has to start again with a fresh notice and a fresh period.
The 28-day breach notice
Where the landlord says you have broken an obligation of the tenancy, the notice period is 28 days whatever the length of your tenancy. The landlord must first warn you in writing and give you a reasonable chance to put the breach right. A notice that cites a breach without an earlier warning may be invalid on your answers.
Rent arrears follow a set sequence. The landlord serves a warning notice that gives you 28 days to pay the arrears in full, and sends a copy to the RTB. Only if the arrears are still unpaid at the end of those 28 days can a 28-day termination notice follow. Rent arrears warning notices explains each step and what paying within the window does.
The window to refer a breach notice to the RTB is 28 days from service, not 90. The notice must tell you this.
The 7-day anti-social notice
Serious anti-social behaviour carries a notice period of 7 days, and no warning is needed first. The Act reserves this for behaviour that is violent, threatening or a serious danger to others, and the landlord carries a high standard of proof at the RTB. A noise complaint or an argument with a neighbour does not reach it. Anti-social behaviour and the 7-day notice covers what counts and how to respond.
Tenant to landlord
The notice you give your landlord is shorter. The bands are counted the same way, on the day you serve your notice.
| Length of tenancy when you serve notice | Notice you must give |
|---|---|
| Less than 6 months | 28 days |
| 6 months to 1 year | 35 days |
| 1 year to 2 years | 42 days |
| 2 years to 4 years | 56 days |
| 4 years to 8 years | 84 days |
| 8 years or more | 112 days |
Where the landlord is in breach of their obligations and you have warned them in writing, you may give 28 days whatever the length of the tenancy (s.68). A fixed-term lease can add its own terms about leaving early, so read it before you serve notice. The giving notice tool works out your period and the date, and giving notice to your landlord has the letter.
What the termination date means
The termination date on the notice is the last day of the tenancy, and the Act gives you the whole of that day. You do not have to be gone by the morning, and a notice that says otherwise has misread the Act. Rent is due up to that date and not beyond it.
Staying past the termination date of a valid notice is overholding. The landlord's only lawful route after that is an RTB determination and then the courts, never the locks, the utilities or your belongings. Overholding explains what follows on both sides.
If the notice turns out to be invalid, the termination date on it has no effect. The tenancy continues on the same terms, and you keep paying the same rent.
The same periods for every landlord and every start date
The s.66 periods do not change with the size of the landlord. A smaller landlord, an individual with three or fewer tenancies, gives the same days as a larger landlord with four or more tenancies or a company. What landlord size changes is the grounds available, not the period.
The periods also apply whatever the date your tenancy began. What changes with the start date is the rest of the notice.
| Began before 1 March 2026 | Began on or after 1 March 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Notice periods | The s.66 table | The s.66 table |
| Reason on the notice | Required on every notice served since 1 March 2026 | Required on every notice |
| Grounds | The old grounds, open to any landlord | Limited by landlord size and the six-year cycle |
| No-reason termination | At the end of a six-year cycle, if the tenancy began before 11 June 2022 | Never after the first six months |
The window to refer a dispute depends on the date of service rather than the start date. It is 90 days for a notice served since 1 March 2026, 28 days for one served before that, and 28 days for any breach notice. Notice of termination: what a valid notice must contain covers the reason, the grounds and the statutory declaration. Smaller and larger landlords explains the size rule.
What to do with the dates
Count the days yourself before anything else. Find the date of service, the day the notice reached you, and count the period from the day after. Then run the notice through the notice checker. It gives the band, the earliest lawful termination date, the last day to refer a dispute, and a calendar file of the three dates.
Do not move out and do not stop paying rent. The period runs whether or not you agree with the notice, and arrears would hand the landlord a ground they did not have.
Ring Threshold on 1800 454 454, Monday to Friday 9am to 9pm, with the notice in front of you. The advisers are free and will count the days with you. If the period is short or anything else is wrong, refer the notice to the RTB within 90 days of service, or 28 for a breach notice. Mediation is free; adjudication costs €30 and, since 14 September 2026, the hearing is public.
Where this leaves you
You now have the two tables. A landlord gives 90, 152, 180, 196 or 224 days by the length of your tenancy on the date of service. A breach after a warning carries 28 days, and serious anti-social behaviour 7 days. You give 28 to 112 days. The termination date is yours to the end of that day, and a notice that is short may be invalid on your answers. Count the days, run the notice checker, keep paying rent, and ring Threshold before the dispute window closes. The notice journey takes those steps in order.
Questions people ask
How much notice does a landlord have to give a tenant in Ireland?
It depends on how long you have been in the tenancy on the day the notice is served. Under six months, 90 days. Six months to a year, 152 days. One to seven years, 180 days. Seven to eight years, 196 days. Eight years or more, 224 days. A breach of your obligations after a warning carries 28 days, and serious anti-social behaviour carries 7 days.
Is the notice period different for a smaller landlord?
No. The periods in the Table to section 66 are the same for smaller and larger landlords. Landlord size matters for a tenancy that began on or after 1 March 2026, but it changes the grounds a landlord can use, not the number of days.
Does the notice period include the day the notice was served?
No. The period is counted from the day after the date of service, which is the day the notice reached you. The termination date is the last day of the tenancy and you have the whole of it. The notice checker counts the days for you.
How much notice do I have to give my landlord?
From 28 days in the first six months to 112 days after eight years. The bands are 28, 35, 42, 56, 84 and 112 days. Where the landlord is in breach and you have warned them in writing, 28 days whatever the length. Check a fixed-term lease for its own terms before you serve notice.
What if the notice gives fewer days than the table?
A notice that gives less than the period the Act requires may be invalid, and an invalid notice does not end the tenancy. Only the RTB can decide that. Refer the notice to the RTB within 90 days of service, or 28 days for a breach notice, rather than rely on the defect and stay silent. Keep paying rent in the meantime.