J1 · 8 steps
I've been given a notice
A notice of termination is a piece of paper, not a court order. It ends your tenancy only if it is valid and only on its termination date, and whether it is valid turns on a short list of things the Act requires. These eight steps take you from the day it arrives to the dates in your calendar, with the free route named before any paid one.
Checked 27 OCT 2026Write down the date you received the notice and how it reached you: email, handed to you, left at the address or posted. That date is the date of service, and every period in this journey counts from it.
An invalid notice does not end the tenancy. Rent arrears give the landlord a valid ground where they had none.
In writing, signed by the landlord or their agent, dated, with a termination date, the reason, a statement that you may refer a dispute to the RTB within 90 days, a statutory declaration where the ground needs one, and a copy to the RTB within 7 days. The checker lists each against your answers.
The period depends on how long you have been in the tenancy on the date of service, from 90 days under six months to 224 days after eight years, and on the ground: 28 days after a warning for a breach, 7 days for serious anti-social behaviour. Compare it with the termination date on the notice.
A larger landlord, with four or more tenancies or any company, cannot end your tenancy to sell or to move family in. A smaller landlord can, on limited grounds and mostly at the end of a six-year cycle. You can ask the RTB which yours is; the letter builder has the request.
Most tenants do not know, and the grounds depend on it.
Threshold's advisers are free and will go through the notice line by line. 1800 454 454, Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm. Do this before you pay anyone.
You have 90 days from the date of service to refer the notice to the RTB, or 28 days for a notice that cites a breach. Mediation is free and private; adjudication costs €30 and has been public since 14 September 2026. The RTB's own online form is the application; nothing is filed here.
Where the landlord is selling and you qualify for social housing support, the local authority may be able to buy the home with you in it. The scheme has a funding ceiling in 2026, so ask early. Your county page has the contact.
The date of service, the earliest lawful termination date, the last day to refer a dispute and the termination date on the notice. The checker makes an .ics file; the tenancy file keeps the entry in your own browser.
Questions people ask
Do I have to leave on the termination date?
Only if the notice is valid and you have not referred it to the RTB in time. An invalid notice does not end the tenancy, and the landlord's only lawful route to possession is an RTB determination and then the courts. Staying past a valid date is overholding and carries its own risks, so get advice before the date rather than after it.
What if the notice came by post?
A posted notice is served when it is delivered, not when it is sent, and the RTB has recommended email or hand delivery since 14 September 2026 because a posted copy to the RTB rarely arrives in time. Record the day it arrived.
Can the landlord give me a notice in the first six months?
Yes, without a reason, as long as the notice is served before the six months are up and gives the 90-day period. After six months without a valid notice you have Part 4 or minimum-duration protection and a ground is needed.
Does a text message count as a notice?
A notice must be in writing and signed. The RTB has accepted email service; a text message without a signature and the required contents is unlikely to be a valid notice, but treat it as a warning that one may follow and keep it.