Rent Pressure Zones Are Gone: What Replaced Them and a Migration Plan for 2026

For most of 2025 the Rent Pressure Zone designation was a patchwork. Most of Dublin, most of Cork, large parts of Galway and Limerick, and a long list of named Local Electoral Areas had been added one by one as their median rent and rent inflation crossed the qualifying threshold.

Working out whether a specific property was inside an RPZ meant looking up the full LEA list, which the RTB updated periodically, and matching it against the property address. On 20 June 2025 every Local Electoral Area in the State was designated, and on 28 February 2026 the zone system was abolished altogether.

That ambiguity is now gone for a different reason: there are no zones left. The Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 replaced them with one national rent control from 1 March 2026. This piece is the map, the migration checklist and the practical answer to ‘do I have to do anything different now’.

The new map: one national rent control

There is no longer a map to check. Rent Pressure Zones were extended to every Local Electoral Area in every local authority area on 20 June 2025, so for the last eight months of the system the whole country was covered. On 28 February 2026 the designation was abolished, and from 1 March 2026 the cap that used to depend on it applies to every private tenancy in Ireland, whatever the address.

For most landlords this changes little in practice, because their property was already capped. What changed is the index, the notice paperwork and a small number of exceptions, set out below.

What the cap actually is

Rent can be increased once every 12 months by the lower of CPI inflation or 2% a year. The inflation measure is now the CSO Consumer Price Index, not the EU harmonised index (HICP) that RPZ rules used, and the test is the movement in the index between the date the rent was last set and the date the new rent takes effect. If the rent has not been reviewed for longer than a year, the 2% limb accumulates pro rata, but the CPI limb still applies over the same period if it is lower. Full mechanics in our rent cap guide.

Three exceptions matter. Apartments and student-specific accommodation in developments commenced on or after 10 June 2025 follow CPI with no 2% ceiling. 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. And local authority, approved housing body and cost rental tenancies follow their own rent rules, not this cap.

Tenancies created on or after 1 March 2026 also carry the new six-year minimum tenancy term. A landlord cannot reset a pre-March 2026 tenancy to market rent while it continues.

The migration checklist

1. Identify all tenancies under your control. Pull the full list from your management system. If you have multiple systems, reconcile them.
2. Capture the last review date for each. The earliest you can serve a fresh notice is the previous review date plus 12 months minus 90 days, or plus 24 months for a first review under the transitional rule above.
3. Confirm the previous review was compliant. A review that was lawful under the rules at the time stands. Every future review is tested against the national cap.
4. Move all reviews to the lower-of-2%-or-CPI formula. Use the RTB prescribed notice, attach a printout of the RTB Rent Calculator result, and send the RTB its copy within 7 days of serving the tenant.
5. Update your direct-debit or standing-order collection at every review so it reflects the new compliant rent from the date it takes effect.

What you do not need to do

You do not need to immediately reduce existing rents. The cap applies to future reviews, not to the current rent.

You do not need to retroactively void historical rent reviews that were compliant when made. The standard you are held to is the standard at the time of each review.

You do not need to check or register any zone designation with the RTB. There are no zones any more.

How Rentalize handles this for you

Rentalize Core includes, on every plan, a 2026 national rent-cap calculator, a compliant rent review workflow that generates the notice, live RTB rent comparables, Part 4 and notice-period tracking, and a dated audit trail of every notice served. Rent collection runs through Rentalize Pay, with GoCardless Direct Debit on Growth and above.

If you have not yet moved tenancies to a software-managed review process, the next 12 months are the cheapest moment to do it. Every review you handle manually under the new regime is an audit-trail gap.

Frequently asked questions

Are there any Rent Pressure Zones left in Ireland?

No. Rent Pressure Zones were abolished on 28 February 2026. From 1 March 2026 a single national rent control applies to every private tenancy.

What is the cap?

The lower of 2% a year or CPI inflation, with a review allowed once every 12 months. New apartments and student-specific accommodation commenced on or after 10 June 2025 follow CPI with no 2% ceiling.

Do I have to reduce existing rents?

No. The cap applies to future reviews. Existing rents are not affected.

What if my property was not in an RPZ before 20 June 2025?

A tenancy that existed before its area was first designated keeps a 24-month interval for the first review after that designation. After that, the normal 12-month cycle and the national cap apply.

Does the cap apply to social housing?

No. Local authority, approved housing body and cost rental tenancies follow their own rent rules.

Where is the CPI rate published?

On the CSO website. The RTB also publishes an official Rent Calculator, and a printout of its result must be attached to a rent review notice.

If you would like to see how Rentalize handles this in practice, you can book a 20-minute walkthrough. We will use one of your own properties as the worked example.