On March 1st, 2026, everything changed for renters in Ireland. The Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026 became law, and for the first time in a generation, the balance of power shifted, even slightly, from landlords to tenants.
If you rent in Ireland, these changes affect you directly. Whether you signed your lease last week or ten years ago, the new rules apply. Here is what they mean in plain language.
The Big Change: Six-Year Minimum Tenancy
Before March 2026, a landlord could end a tenancy after the initial fixed-term period with relatively few restrictions. The new law changes that fundamentally.
Every new tenancy created from March 1st, 2026, now has a minimum duration of six years. Your landlord cannot simply decide to end your tenancy because the fixed term is up. You have security for six years from the start date, provided you meet your obligations as a tenant.
For tenants who were already in a tenancy before March 1st, 2026, the transition rules are slightly different. If you have been renting for less than six months, you will transition to the new six-year framework from the date you started. If you have been renting for longer, you are already covered by the existing Part 4 security of tenure, and the new law strengthens your existing protections.
No-Fault Evictions: What Actually Changed?
The phrase “no-fault eviction” has been all over the news, but what does it mean in practice?
Previously, a landlord could end a tenancy for reasons like “I want to sell the property” or “I need it for a family member” with relatively short notice. These are called “no-fault” grounds because the tenant has done nothing wrong.
The new law does not eliminate these grounds entirely, but it restricts them significantly:
- Sale of property: A landlord can still end a tenancy to sell, but must now provide evidence that the property is genuinely being sold (not just listed). If the property is not sold within 12 months, the former tenant has a right to return.
- Family member use: The landlord must provide a statutory declaration confirming the family member genuinely intends to live in the property for at least 12 months. If they do not move in or leave within 12 months, penalties apply.
- Substantial refurbishment: The landlord must provide detailed plans and a timeline. The works must be so substantial that the property cannot be lived in during the renovation.
New Notice Periods: The Full Table
The notice a landlord must give you depends on how long you have been renting:
- Less than 6 months: 28 days
- 6 months to 1 year: 90 days
- 1 to 3 years: 120 days
- 3 to 5 years: 150 days
- 5 to 7 years: 180 days
- 7 to 8 years: 196 days
- 8 years or more: 224 days
That last number is worth pausing on. If you have rented the same property for eight years or more, your landlord must give you nearly eight months of notice before you have to leave. That is a significant amount of time to find alternative housing.
As a tenant, you can still end your tenancy with 28 days notice at any time, regardless of how long you have been renting.
Rent Increases: What Is Allowed?
In Rent Pressure Zones (which cover most of Dublin, Cork city, Galway city, and several other urban areas), rent increases are still capped at the lower of 2% per annum or the current CPI rate.
The new law adds some practical protections:
- Your landlord must give you 90 days written notice of any rent increase
- The notice must include the current rent, the proposed new rent, the date of the last rent review, and a calculation showing how the new rent was arrived at
- You have the right to refer any rent increase to the RTB if you believe it exceeds the permitted amount
Outside Rent Pressure Zones, landlords can only raise rent to market rate, and must provide three comparable properties with similar rents to justify the increase.
What This Means If You Are Currently Renting
Take a moment to think about your own situation. Consider the following:
When did your tenancy start? This determines your notice period and which rules apply to you.
Are you in a Rent Pressure Zone? You can check on the RTB website. If you are, your rent increases are capped.
When was your rent last reviewed? If your landlord has not reviewed your rent in more than 12 months, they cannot backdate any increase. The 90-day notice period starts from the date they serve the notice, not the date of the last review.
Is your tenancy registered with the RTB? Your landlord is legally required to register your tenancy within one month of it starting. If they have not, any notice they serve could be challenged as invalid.
The Landlord Exodus: Should You Be Worried?
The other side of this story is that private landlords are leaving the market. Notices of termination increased by 35% in the third quarter of 2025 compared to the same period the year before. Many landlords cite the regulatory burden as their reason for selling up.
This creates a paradox. The very protections designed to help tenants are, in some cases, accelerating the departure of landlords who would otherwise continue renting out their properties. The result: fewer rental properties on the market, which pushes up rents on the remaining stock.
The Government is betting that institutional investment and Cost Rental delivery will fill the gap. Whether that bet pays off is one of the defining questions of Irish housing policy over the next five years.
What You Should Do Now
- Know your rights. Read the RTB guide on the new legislation at rtb.ie
- Check your tenancy registration. You can verify it on the RTB website
- Keep records. Save every email, letter, and text message from your landlord. If a dispute arises, documentation is everything
- Do not sign anything you do not understand. If your landlord asks you to sign a new agreement, read it carefully or get advice from Threshold (the national housing charity)
- Report issues. If your landlord is not complying with the new rules, you can refer the matter to the RTB at no cost
The new rental laws are not a silver bullet. They will not solve the supply crisis or bring rents down. But they do give tenants significantly more security and predictability than they had before. And in a market where a single notice to quit can upend your entire life, that matters.
