Ireland's New Rental Rules for 2026
A plain-English guide to the rental reforms that took effect on 1 March 2026: the new national rent cap, six-year tenancies, the changes to no-fault evictions, and what they mean for landlords and letting agents.
On 1 March 2026, the Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 replaced Rent Pressure Zones with one national system. The main changes: rent can rise once a year by the lower of 2% or inflation (CPI) everywhere in the country; new tenancies now run in rolling six-year cycles; and larger landlords (four or more tenancies, or a company) can no longer end a tenancy simply to sell. Tenancies that began before 1 March 2026 keep their existing terms, but the new rent cap applies to them too. New lettings also need a Notice of Rent Setting alongside the lease, which our free tenancy agreement generator produces for you.
The rules are national. What they mean for you is not.
Two landlords on the same street can now sit on different rules, depending on when the tenancy started, how the last one ended and when the building was completed. These two tools answer the questions this page can only describe.
The 2026 changes at a glance
One national rent cap
Rent rises once a year by the lower of 2% or CPI inflation, in every county. Rent Pressure Zones are gone.
Six-year tenancies
New tenancies run in rolling six-year cycles, with security of tenure after six months.
Fewer no-fault endings
Larger landlords can no longer end a tenancy just to sell; they must sell with the tenant in place.
The national rent cap
Since 1 March 2026, rent anywhere in Ireland can be increased only once in any 12-month period, and only by the lower of 2% or the rate of inflation measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This replaced the old Rent Pressure Zone system, which applied only in designated areas and used a different inflation measure. The cap now applies in every city, town, and rural area, so location no longer decides how much rent can rise. One timing exception: a tenancy that existed before its area was first designated a Rent Pressure Zone on 20 June 2025 keeps a 24-month interval for the first review after that designation.
With CPI running above 2% through most of 2026, the binding cap for standard tenancies is 2%. Because the exact figure moves with inflation, the safest way to work out a specific increase is to use the live figure. Our rent increase calculator pulls the current CPI from the Central Statistics Office and computes the maximum lawful rent for your dates.
The new-build exemption
Apartments and Student Specific Accommodation in developments with a commencement notice or 7 day notice to the building control authority on or after 10 June 2025 can raise rent by CPI with no 2% ceiling. The measure is designed to attract investment into new rental supply. All other properties, including older apartments and houses, follow the standard lower-of-2%-or-CPI rule. Separately, the first rent of a tenancy created on or after 1 March 2026 is exempt from the cap where the dwelling had no tenancy in the previous 2 years (1 year for a protected structure), so a long-vacant home can be let at market rent.
Six-year tenancies
Tenancies created on or after 1 March 2026 are Tenancies of Minimum Duration that last six years. A tenant gains security of tenure once they have lived in the property for six continuous months without the landlord serving a valid notice of termination. If the landlord does not end the tenancy for one of the allowed reasons, it renews for a further six years, and so on in rolling cycles. In the first six months, any landlord can still end a tenancy for any reason.
No-fault evictions: small and large landlords
The reform draws a line between smaller and larger landlords, defined by how many tenancies they hold. The rent cap is identical for both; the difference is in the grounds for ending a tenancy.
| Small landlord (1 to 3 tenancies) | Large landlord (4+ tenancies or a company) | |
|---|---|---|
| Can end for | Tenant breach; property no longer suitable; plus sale to avoid genuine hardship, or a family member needing to move in | Tenant breach, or the property no longer suitable for the tenant. These are the only two grounds. |
| Can end to sell? | Only where sale is needed to avoid undue financial or other hardship | No. The property can still be sold, but with the tenant remaining in place. |
Where a tenancy ends through a no-fault termination, the landlord cannot then reset the rent to the open market rate for the next tenancy.
Selling with a tenant in situ
When a property is sold with a tenant in place, the tenant's six-year Tenancy of Minimum Duration carries over to the new owner, keeping whatever time remains. For example, a tenant who has already lived in the property for four years under the previous landlord still has two years remaining under the new one. This is a significant change for larger landlords, who can no longer treat a sale as a way to end a tenancy.
If your tenancy began before March 2026
Tenancies already in place before 1 March 2026 are not converted to six-year cycles; they continue under the tenancy rules that applied when they started. The new national rent cap, however, does apply to them, so rent can still only rise once a year by the lower of 2% or CPI. For these older tenancies, rent cannot be reset to the open market level while the tenancy continues, except after a substantial refurbishment. A new tenancy created on or after 1 March 2026 can also start at market rent where the home had no tenancy in the previous 2 years (1 year for a protected structure).
Frequently asked questions
What makes a rent review notice invalid in 2026?
Failing to send it to the RTB. From 1 March 2026 a rent setting or rent review notice must go to the tenant and to the RTB on the same day, and if the RTB does not receive it the notice is invalid no matter how correct the figure is. Sending the copy later does not fix it: a corrected notice restarts the 90 day period from its own service date. The notice must also carry a statement, and what that statement contains depends on your route. If the rent is capped, you attach a printout from the RTB Rent Calculator showing the working, plus details of three comparable properties. If you are setting market rent, you attach three comparables proving the rent is not above market. Our RTB rent review notice checker works out which applies to your tenancy.
What are the three comparables and where do they come from?
They are three real tenancies from the RTB Rent Register, used to prove a market rent is genuinely at market. The bar is tighter than most landlords expect. Each comparable must be a property of similar size, type and character, including BER where the property has one, and each tenancy must have begun in the last three months. You identify them by Registered Tenancy number. The three month rule is the part that catches people out, because it means comparables cannot be prepared weeks in advance and reused. The Rent Register updates daily from RTB registrations and now carries rent, dwelling type, bedrooms, bed spaces, local electoral area, floor area and BER, which is what makes the comparison workable at all.
Am I a large or a small landlord, and what turns on it?
You are a large landlord if you hold four or more tenancies. Any corporate entity is a large landlord regardless of how many tenancies it holds, so a single property in a company is treated as large. Everyone else is a small landlord. The split does not change the rent cap, which is national and identical either way. What it changes is termination. A large landlord can no longer end a tenancy simply in order to sell the property, while a small landlord retains that ground subject to conditions. It also shapes what you can do at the end of a six year cycle. Because the threshold counts tenancies rather than properties, landlords near the line should recount before serving anything.
How much can rent go up in Ireland in 2026?
Once a year, by the lower of 2% or CPI inflation, everywhere in the country. With CPI above 2% through most of 2026, the cap for standard tenancies is 2%. New apartments and student accommodation built from 10 June 2025 can follow CPI with no 2% cap. One exception to the yearly interval: a tenancy that existed before its area was first designated a Rent Pressure Zone on 20 June 2025 keeps a 24-month interval for the first review after designation. Use the rent increase calculator for a specific figure.
Are Rent Pressure Zones still in place?
No. Rent Pressure Zones were abolished on 28 February 2026. From 1 March 2026 a single national rent cap applies to every rented home in Ireland under the Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026.
What is a six-year tenancy?
Tenancies created from 1 March 2026 are Tenancies of Minimum Duration lasting six years, renewing in rolling six-year cycles. A tenant has security of tenure after six continuous months without a valid notice of termination. Tenancies that began before 1 March 2026 keep their existing terms.
Can a landlord still evict a tenant to sell the property?
A large landlord (four or more tenancies, or a company) cannot end a tenancy in order to sell; they must sell with the tenant in place. A small landlord (one to three tenancies) can end a tenancy to sell only where the sale is needed to avoid undue financial or other hardship.
What counts as a large landlord?
A large landlord has four or more tenancies, or is a registered company. A small landlord has three or fewer tenancies. The rent cap is the same for both; the difference is in the grounds available to end a tenancy.
Do the new rules apply to existing tenancies?
The national rent cap applies to all tenancies, including those that began before 1 March 2026. The six-year tenancy structure applies only to tenancies created on or after 1 March 2026; older tenancies continue under their existing rules.
This guide summarises the reforms in the Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026, commenced 1 March 2026, for general information. It is not legal advice. Confirm the current rules with the RTB at rtb.ie before acting on any point.
Stay compliant with the 2026 rules automatically
Rentalize applies the current rent cap, tracks six-year tenancy dates and RTB registrations, and generates valid notices, so your portfolio stays compliant as the rules change.
Book a demoRelated tools and guides: Rent Increase Calculator 2026 · RTB Registration Guide · Rental Income Tax Calculator · Differential Rent Calculator · Compliance guides