Part 4 Tenancy in Ireland

What a Part 4 tenancy is

Part 4 takes its name from Part 4 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, which created security of tenure for private renters. It works automatically. A tenant does not apply for it, does not have to ask, and does not need it written into the lease. After six continuous months in the property with no valid notice of termination served, the protection exists.

It also cannot be contracted out of. A clause in a written agreement saying the tenant waives Part 4 rights, or that the tenancy simply ends when a fixed term expires, has no effect. This is the single most common misunderstanding on both sides: a fixed term of twelve months does not mean the tenant leaves at twelve months. If you are drawing up a new letting, our free Irish tenancy agreement generator writes the term correctly and leaves the statutory rights intact.

Which set of rules applies to your tenancy

Three regimes now run side by side. The date the tenancy began decides which one governs it, and existing tenancies were not moved onto the new rules.

The six year cycle from March 2026

For tenancies created from 1 March 2026, the Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 introduced the Tenancy of Minimum Duration. It runs for six years. During that period the landlord can only end the tenancy on a small number of grounds, and which grounds are open depends on the size of the landlord's portfolio.

At the end of the six years a landlord with 1 to 3 tenancies that is not a company can also end the tenancy for sale, substantial refurbishment or change of use, by serving notice before the six years end with a termination date on or after the last day of the cycle. Those grounds, and occupation by the landlord or a close family member, are not available at all to a company or to a landlord with 4 or more tenancies. If the landlord does not end the tenancy at that point, a new six year cycle begins and the restrictions start again.

The first six months

The six month qualifying period is common to all three regimes and it is where most tenancies are lost. During those first six months a landlord may end the tenancy for any reason, provided they give proper written notice. Since 28 February 2026 that notice must say which kind of reason applies, and a copy must reach the RTB within 7 days. The protection only attaches once the six months are complete and no valid notice has been served in that time.

The word doing the work is valid. A notice served in month five that turns out to be defective, for example because it was unsigned or the notice period was short, does not stop the clock. If the six months complete, the tenant has security of tenure.

How a Part 4 tenancy can be ended

Once security of tenure exists, a landlord needs a permitted ground and must give the full notice period for the length of the tenancy, which ranges from 90 to 224 days, or 28 days where the tenant is in breach of their obligations (7 days for serious anti-social behaviour). The grounds available depend on when the tenancy started and, for tenancies from March 2026, on whether the landlord is a company or holds one to three tenancies or four or more. The notice of termination guide sets out both the notice periods and the grounds in full.

A tenant can end the tenancy at any time by giving their own notice, which is much shorter, between 28 and 112 days depending on how long they have been there.

Common questions