TenantWise

Chapter 5 · Notices and eviction

Notices and eviction: the 2026 rules

A notice of termination must be in writing, signed, dated, give the reason and the period the Act requires, say you can refer it to the RTB, and reach the RTB within seven days. If any of that is missing the notice may be invalid, and an invalid notice does not end your tenancy. Since 1 March 2026 a larger landlord cannot end a new tenancy to sell or to move family in at all.

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

The steps, in order

  1. 01Do not move out yet, and do not stop paying rent
  2. 02Check the notice against what the Act requires
  3. 03Work out the notice period you are owed
  4. 04If the tenancy began on or after 1 March 2026, find out the landlord's size
  5. 05Ring Threshold with the notice in front of you
  6. 06If anything is wrong, apply to the RTB in time
  7. 07If the ground is a sale, ask about tenant in situ the same week
  8. 08Put the dates in your tenancy file and your calendar

The tools

ToolFreeIs my notice valid, and what is the last day?Notice of termination checkerEnter your tenancy start date and the notice you received. Get the notice period the Act requires, the earliest lawful date, your dispute deadline, and the list of what a valid notice must contain against your answers.Check my notice →ToolFreeWhich rules apply to my tenancy, and when do they change?Tenancy timelinePart 4 or minimum-duration protection, the six-year cycle, the notice band you are in today and the dates it changes, from one start date.See my dates →ToolFreeWhat do I write, and to whom?Letter builderA repair request, a deposit return request, a reply to a rent review, a landlord-size request to the RTB, a confirm-in-writing letter, or your own notice. Free, in your words, nothing stored.Build my letter →

The guides

  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.

Questions people ask

How much notice does a landlord have to give in Ireland?

It depends on how long you have been there: 90 days under six months, 152 days from six months to a year, 180 days from one to seven years, 196 days from seven to eight, and 224 days after eight years. For rent arrears or another breach after a warning it is 28 days; for serious anti-social behaviour, 7 days.

Is there an eviction ban in Ireland in 2026?

No. A Private Member's Bill to pause termination notices was published in May 2026 and is at Second Stage; it is not law. What is in force since 1 March 2026 is a bar on larger landlords (four or more tenancies, or a company) ending a new tenancy to sell, to move family in, to refurbish or to change use.

What can I do if my landlord sells the house?

A sale is not a notice. Until a valid notice arrives nothing changes. If your tenancy began on or after 1 March 2026 and the landlord is a larger landlord, they cannot end it to sell. A smaller landlord needs hardship during the six years. Ask your local authority about the tenant-in-situ scheme the same week.

How long do I have to dispute a notice of termination?

90 days from the day you received it, or 28 days where the ground is a breach of your obligations. For a notice served before 1 March 2026 it was 28 days. Mediation is free and private; adjudication costs €30 and has been public since 14 September 2026.

Can a landlord change the locks in Ireland?

No. A landlord's only lawful route is a valid notice, then an RTB determination, then the courts. Changing the locks, cutting the power or removing belongings is improper conduct the RTB investigates, and you can be awarded damages of up to €20,000.

Ask a solicitor

Not sure what to do next with your tenancy?

Say what has happened and when. One partner solicitor firm, regulated by the Law Society of Ireland, gets your details and nobody else does.

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Information, not advice. The law changed twice in 2026 and can change again; no page here can say what the RTB will decide in your case, whether a notice is valid or what a landlord will do. Last checked 2026-10-27. TenantWise is an independent site, not connected with the Residential Tenancies Board, Revenue, the Department of Housing, any local authority, Threshold or any landlord body. It is not a solicitor, a letting agent, a landlord, a deposit scheme or an advice service. It covers the Republic of Ireland only. Before you act, ring Threshold, which is free, or talk to a solicitor.