RTB enforcement in Ireland

RTB fixed payment notices: the rules from 14 September 2026

An RTB fixed payment notice is a fine of €100 or €200 that the Residential Tenancies Board can serve on a landlord for six breaches of rental law, in force since 14 September 2026. It is never the first contact: it follows a compliance notice and then a final 14 day notice that were not acted on. Pay within 28 days and fix the breach, and there is no prosecution for that offence.

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The basics

What is an RTB fixed payment notice?

An RTB fixed payment notice is a formal notice from the Residential Tenancies Board saying it believes a landlord has committed an offence under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, and offering the landlord the chance to close that offence with a fixed payment instead of a court case. The power was added by the Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 and came into force on 14 September 2026. The amount is set in the prescribed form, S.I. No. 435 of 2026: €200 for the three rent breaches and €100 for the other three. The landlord has 28 days from the date of the notice to pay. During those 28 days the RTB will not prosecute, and if the payment is made in time it cannot prosecute that offence at all. The landlord is not obliged to pay. A fixed payment notice is a quick way to close an offence, not a finding by a court.

What triggers a notice

Which breaches can lead to a fixed payment notice?

Six breaches of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 can lead to a fixed payment notice, and each follows the same pattern: the RTB served a compliance notice about the breach and the landlord did not put it right within 14 days of the final notice. Three are rent breaches at €200: setting a rent above what national rent control allows, not serving a notice of exemption from the rent increase restriction on the tenant and the RTB, and not sending the RTB its copy of a notice of rent review. Three cost €100: not registering a tenancy, not updating the registration within one month of a change in rent, and not giving the RTB the rent setting information for a new tenancy within one month of its start. Other breaches, such as giving a false reason in a notice of termination, go to an RTB investigation instead, where the sanction can reach €15,000 for each breach.

€200
Rent above the legal limit

Rent set or reviewed above what national rent control allows: once a year, by 2% or by CPI inflation if that is lower. Check it with the RTB rent calculator.
RTA 2004 s.19(4), fixed payment under s.22B
€200
No notice of exemption

A landlord relying on an exemption from the rent increase restriction must serve a notice of exemption on the tenant and the RTB within one month of setting the rent.
RTA 2004 s.19(5B), fixed payment under s.22B
€200
Rent review copy not sent to the RTB

The RTB must get its copy of a notice of rent review within 7 days of the date the tenant receives the notice. See the rent review notice checker.
RTA 2004 s.22(2) and s.22(7), fixed payment under s.22B
€100
Tenancy not registered

Register within one month of the tenancy start date, then every year on its anniversary. Tenancies that have since ended count too. Full guide: RTB registration.
RTA 2004 s.134, fixed payment under s.144
€100
Registration not updated

Update the registration within one month of a change in rent. Uploading a notice to the RTB Service Centre does not update the registration record.
RTA 2004 s.139(1), fixed payment under s.144A
€100
Rent setting information not given to the RTB

At the start of a new tenancy the rent setting notice, with three RTB Rent Register comparables, goes to the tenant, and to the RTB within one month of the start date.
RTA 2004 s.12(6), fixed payment under s.12(11)

Not on the list: a late RTB copy of a notice of termination. That is not a fixed payment notice breach, and the result is worse: the notice is invalid, the tenancy continues and a new notice with the full notice period has to be served. See notice of termination.

The process

How does the RTB get to a fixed payment notice?

A fixed payment notice is the third step in a process, never the first. The RTB can spot a possible breach from a report by a tenant or a member of the public, from its own registration data, or from other public bodies. It then serves a compliance notice that states its opinion and asks the landlord either to put the breach right or to explain why the opinion is wrong. The RTB says this first notice gives 28 days. If nothing changes, or the explanation does not change the RTB's view, a further notice follows with a final 14 days, and failing to comply with that further notice is the offence. Only then can the RTB serve the fixed payment notice, which gives 28 days to pay and fix the breach. When the RTB has the payment and proof that the breach is fixed, it sends a closure letter. If the breach continues, it can issue another notice.

Compliance notice28 days, per the RTB
The RTB states its opinion. Fix the breach, or send reasons and proof that it did not happen.
Final notice14 days
Still not fixed, or the reasons did not change the RTB's view. Missing this deadline is the offence.
Fixed payment notice28 days
€100 or €200. No prosecution during the 28 days, and none at all if you pay in time.
Closed, or prosecutedAfter 28 days
Paid and fixed: a closure letter. Not paid: the RTB may prosecute.

A note on names: the prescribed fixed payment notice form calls the second, 14 day notice "the compliance notice". If a fixed payment notice you hold refers to a compliance notice, it means the final notice in step 2.

If you do not pay

What happens if you do not pay a fixed payment notice?

You do not have to pay a fixed payment notice, but not paying leaves the offence open and the RTB can then prosecute. The same 2026 Act raised the penalties in section 9 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 for offences committed from 14 September 2026. On conviction, the court can impose a class A fine of up to €5,000 and up to 12 months in prison. If the breach continues after a conviction, each further day can bring a fine of up to €1,000. The RTB says it can also recover its legal costs. The Act also gave the RTB three years to bring these cases, up from one year. Against that, the €100 or €200 payment is small, which is the point of the system: it gives a landlord who made an administrative mistake a quick way to close the offence before it reaches a courtroom. Once made, the payment cannot be recovered.

Paying or disputing

How do you pay or contest an RTB fixed payment notice?

The prescribed form gives two ways to pay: by credit or debit card online at rtb.ie, or by cheque or postal order made out to the Residential Tenancies Board at the PO box printed on the notice. Every payment must carry the notice's reference number, and the form makes keeping proof of payment your responsibility. The RTB issues a receipt, and a payment made in time is a defence if a prosecution for the same offence is ever brought. The Act creates no appeal against a fixed payment notice itself. The time to dispute is earlier: when a compliance notice arrives, reply in writing with the reasons and evidence that show the RTB's opinion is not well founded, such as a registration confirmation or the date the RTB copy was submitted. If a fixed payment notice has already been served and you believe you did nothing wrong, you can decline to pay and defend any prosecution. Take legal advice before you do.

Two dates in 2026

What changed in Irish rental law in 2026?

1 March 2026 Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026
- National rent control replaces Rent Pressure Zones
- Rent setting notice with three RTB Rent Register comparables
- Six-year tenancy cycles for new tenancies
14 September 2026 Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026
- Fixed payment notices for six breaches
- RTB copy of rent review and termination notices within 7 days
- Public adjudication hearings and higher court penalties

What changed on 1 March 2026?

On 1 March 2026 Rent Pressure Zones ended and a national system of rent control began for all private tenancies and student-specific accommodation. Rent can rise once a year by 2%, or by CPI inflation if that is lower. New apartments and student accommodation where construction began from 10 June 2025 follow CPI with no 2% cap, and approved housing body and cost rental tenancies are outside these rules. At the start of a tenancy the landlord gives the tenant a rent setting notice explaining how the rent was set, with rents for three similar homes from the RTB Rent Register. For tenancies created from 1 March, market rent can be reset only where the last tenant left by choice, breached their obligations or the home no longer suited them, it is a first letting, or the home had no tenancy for 2 years. Those tenancies run in six-year cycles, and company landlords and landlords with four or more tenancies have fewer grounds to end them. Older tenancies keep their old rules on ending a tenancy. Full guide: Ireland rental rules 2026.

What changed on 14 September 2026?

The Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 mostly came into force on 14 September 2026, under S.I. No. 434 of 2026. It gave the RTB the fixed payment notice power for the six breaches on this page. It replaced the same-day rule for the RTB's copy of a notice of rent review or a notice of termination with a window of 7 days from the date the tenant receives the notice. A late rent review copy means the new rent does not take effect, and a late termination copy makes the notice invalid. The RTB says termination notices should not be sent by post and recommends email. Adjudication hearings on disputes applied for from 14 September are held in public, and the published reports name the parties and the address. Court penalties rose to a class A fine and 12 months, with three years to prosecute. And for tenancies created after 14 September, the rent setting information must reach the RTB within one month.

Older tenancies

Can a breach from before 14 September 2026 lead to a fixed payment notice?

It depends on the breach, because the Act sets a different starting line for each one. The rent setting information duty, and its fixed payment notice, apply only to tenancies created after 14 September 2026. The two rent cap breaches apply only to rent set after that date. For the rent review copy breach, the Act ties the new route to notices under section 22 served after that date. Registration works differently. For a tenancy that was never registered, or a registration not updated after a rent change, what counts is the date the RTB serves its final 14 day notice. If that is after 14 September 2026, the fixed payment route applies however old the tenancy is, and tenancies that have since ended are covered too. None of this is an amnesty. The RTB says it can still take enforcement action on older breaches, including Rent Pressure Zone breaches from before 1 March 2026. Old registration gaps are the exposure to close first.

Prevention

How do you avoid an RTB fixed payment notice?

Every one of the six breaches is a missed date or a missing document, so avoiding a fixed payment notice comes down to keeping each tenancy's dates and paperwork in one place and acting before the RTB does. Register each tenancy within one month of its start and again on every anniversary. When the rent changes, update the registration within a month, because uploading a rent review notice to the RTB Service Centre does not update the registration record. At a new letting, give the tenant the rent setting notice with three RTB Rent Register comparables and submit it to the RTB within one month. Check every increase against the cap with the official CPI figures before the notice goes out. Send the RTB its copy of a rent review notice on the day you serve the tenant, not on day seven. And if a compliance notice does arrive, answer it in writing well inside its deadline, because each stage you clear is one that never becomes an offence.

Within 1 month of the start: Register the tenancy, and submit the rent setting notice to the RTB; €100
Every anniversary of the start: Renew the registration; €100
Within 1 month of a rent change: Update the registration record; €100
Before any increase: Check the new rent against the cap: once a year, 2% or CPI if lower; €200
Within 1 month of setting rent under an exemption: Serve the notice of exemption on the tenant and the RTB; €200
Within 7 days of serving a rent review: Send the RTB its copy, ideally the same day. The tenant gets at least 90 days' notice of the new rent; €200

For letting agents and property managers

How does Rentalize help you avoid a fixed payment notice?

Rentalize Core is property management software for letting agents, property management companies and landlords in Ireland and the UK, and its compliance engine is on every plan, Essential included. It works from the tenancy record, so the dates behind the registration and rent review breaches are tracked rather than remembered. For rent reviews, Rentalize works out the 2026 cap, attaches three RTB Rent Register comparables and drafts the notice, and the copy for the RTB is generated alongside it so it can go the day you serve the tenant. For registration, Rentalize prepares each registration from the tenancy record as a one-click RTB1-format export and alerts you before every anniversary, and you file on RTB.ie. Part 4 rights and notice periods are tracked on every tenancy. And every morning, the compliance check flags expired certificates, overdue RTB registrations, missed rent reviews and approaching tenancy end dates before your team logs in.

Rent reviews under the 2026 cap

Rentalize works out the 2026 cap, attaches three RTB Rent Register comparables and drafts the notice. The copy for the RTB is generated with it, and the proposed rent cannot exceed the calculated cap. More: rent review software.

RTB registration export and renewal tracking

Each registration is prepared from the tenancy record as a one-click RTB1-format export, with every anniversary alerted. You complete the registration on RTB.ie. More: Rentalize and RTB.ie.

Notice tracking

Part 4 tenancy rights and notice periods are tracked on every tenancy, so the notice period that applies is known before a notice is drafted. More: RTB compliance software.

The morning compliance check

Expired certificates, overdue RTB registrations, missed rent reviews and approaching tenancy end dates, flagged before your team logs in. On every plan.

What Rentalize does not do

It does not register tenancies or file anything with the RTB for you. You complete registrations on RTB.ie and send notice copies through the RTB Service Centre.
It does not draft the rent setting notice for a new letting.
It has no fixed payment notice tracker, and it does not give legal advice.

Book a demo See RTB compliance software

Related guides

More on RTB compliance

Sources, checked 27 October 2026

Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 (No. 33 of 2026), sections 20, 21, 23, 24, 26, 54 and 55
S.I. No. 435 of 2026, Residential Tenancies Act 2004 (Prescribed Form) (No. 2) Regulations 2026, the fixed payment notice forms
S.I. No. 434 of 2026, Commencement (No. 2) Order, appointing 14 September 2026
RTB: How do fixed payment notices work and What breaches can we enforce
RTB: Important changes to rental law from 14 September 2026 (31 August 2026)
RTB: Rental law changes from 1 March 2026

This page explains the law as published on the dates above. It is not legal advice. If you have received a compliance notice or a fixed payment notice, read it carefully and contact the RTB or a solicitor.

Fixed payment notice questions

How much is an RTB fixed payment notice?

It is €200 for the three rent breaches: setting rent above the legal limit, not serving a notice of exemption, and not sending the RTB its copy of a rent review notice. It is €100 for the other three: not registering a tenancy, not updating a registration after a rent change, and not giving the RTB the rent setting information for a new tenancy. The amounts are set in the prescribed form, S.I. No. 435 of 2026. The Act allows higher amounts to be prescribed, up to €1,000 for the rent breaches and €500 for the others, but the prescribed amounts today are €200 and €100.

Can the RTB send a fixed payment notice without warning?

No. A fixed payment notice can only follow two earlier notices. The first is a compliance notice that sets out the RTB's opinion and asks you to fix the breach or explain why the opinion is wrong. The second is a further notice that gives you a final 14 days. The offence is not complying with that further notice, and only then can a fixed payment notice be served. Acting on the first notice is the simplest way never to receive one.

Do I have to pay an RTB fixed payment notice?

No. The notice itself says you are not obliged to pay. If you do not pay within 28 days, the RTB may prosecute you for the offence. On conviction, the penalty can be a fine of up to €5,000, up to 12 months in prison, and up to €1,000 for each day the breach continues. If you pay within the 28 days, you cannot be prosecuted for that offence.

How do I pay an RTB fixed payment notice?

Pay by credit or debit card online at rtb.ie, or by cheque or postal order to the Residential Tenancies Board at the PO box printed on the notice. Quote the reference number from the notice with the payment and keep proof that you paid. Fix the breach as well, because the RTB closes the case only when it has both the payment and proof that the breach has been corrected.

Does paying a fixed payment notice end the matter?

It ends the risk of prosecution for that offence, and the payment cannot be refunded. It does not fix the breach. The RTB sends a closure letter once it has the payment and proof that the breach is corrected. If the breach continues after you pay, the RTB can issue another fixed payment notice.

Is a late RTB copy of a notice of termination a fixed payment notice breach?

No. Since 14 September 2026 the RTB must receive its copy of a notice of termination within 7 days of the date the tenant receives the notice, and a late copy makes the notice invalid. That is not one of the six fixed payment notice breaches. The tenancy continues, and a new notice with the full notice period has to be served. A late copy of a rent review notice is different: the new rent does not take effect, and not putting it right after a compliance notice can lead to a €200 fixed payment notice.