01Before you pay anything

The deposit is no more than one month's rentAnd advance rent no more than one month: at most two months' money up front, since 9 August 2021.The one-month caps
A written agreement you have readWhat it must contain and the clauses to question before you sign.Tenancy agreements
The landlord's name and an address for noticesThe landlord must give you contact details. An agent's address alone is not enough.
The RTB registration, or a promise in writing to registerThe rent tax credit needs the number; the public register shows whether the tenancy is registered.RTB registration
The rent-setting statementSince 1 March 2026: the previous rent, when it was set, and three comparables, to you and the RTB.The statement
You have seen the inside, met the person, and paid to a traceable accountNever a deposit before a viewing, never cash, never to someone abroad.Rental scams

02The day you move in

An inventory, room by room, signed by both sidesEvery item and its condition. It decides the deposit at the end.
Photographs of every room, every wall, the floors and the appliances, datedForty photographs take ten minutes and are the deposit's best evidence.
Meter readings: electricity, gas, water if meteredPhotographed, with the date.
Smoke alarms and a carbon monoxide alarm workingA fire blanket in the kitchen. Minimum standards.The 2019 Regulations
The keys counted, and the BER certificate seenThe BER should have been in the advertisement.

A rent book, or a written record of every paymentYour right under the 1993 Regulations.The rent book
The rent tax credit claimed on myAccountUp to €1,000 a year, or €2,000 jointly assessed; four years back.Work out your credit
Proof of address set up, if you need it for a permit or a bankA registered tenancy and the agreement are the documents an immigration application accepts.Renting on a work permit
The start date and the agreement in your tenancy fileKept in your own browser, never uploaded.My tenancy

Your notice served in writing, with the date of service provableThe period depends on how long you have been there.Giving notice
Anything you damaged repaired or raised in writingWear and tear is not yours to pay for; damage beyond it is.
Rent and bills paid to the end, with receiptsArrears and unpaid bills are the two deductions the Act plainly allows.
A forwarding address and bank details given in writingFor the deposit and any post.

Photographs of every room, dated, against the move-in setThe same angles, the same rooms.
Final meter readings, photographed, and the utilities closed or transferred
Keys returned with a dated note, or by hand with a witnessThe date you hand them back is the date the landlord's clock to return the deposit starts.
The deposit requested in writing, with a dateThe Act says promptly; the letter gives 14 days.The deposit tool

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