The biggest changes to Irish rental law in years took effect on 1 March 2026. If you let a property in North County Dublin, or anywhere in Ireland, these rules affect how long a tenancy lasts, how rent is set and when a tenancy can be ended. This guide sets out the main points in plain English.
Which tenancies are affected?
Most of the new rules apply to tenancies created on or after 1 March 2026. Tenancies already in place before that date keep their existing terms, although the cap on rent increases applies to them too. If you are about to let a property for the first time, or re let after a tenant leaves, the new rules will apply.
Rolling six year tenancies
New tenancies now run as rolling six year terms, known as Tenancies of Minimum Duration. During each six year term a landlord can only end the tenancy on limited grounds, mainly where the tenant is not meeting their obligations or the property no longer suits the tenant’s needs.
Small landlords and large landlords
The rules treat landlords differently depending on how many tenancies they have.
- Smaller landlords (three or fewer tenancies) can also end a tenancy during the term where financial hardship means they need to sell, or where they or a close family member need to live in the property. At the end of a six year term they can still rely on the existing grounds, including sale, family use, major renovation or change of use.
- Larger landlords (four or more tenancies) cannot end a tenancy at the end of the term in order to sell, renovate, move in or change the use of the property. They can still end a tenancy where the tenant breaches their obligations or the property no longer suits the tenant’s needs.
How much can rent increase?
Rent increases for existing and new tenancies are capped at the lower of CPI inflation or 2% a year. When you set or review rent, you must now give a rent setting or rent review notice to both the tenant and the RTB explaining how the rent was decided, including three examples of rents for comparable properties from the RTB Rent Register.
When can rent be reset to market level?
Between tenancies, rent can be set at market level only where the previous rent was below market and the previous tenant left voluntarily or breached their obligations. After that, the normal cap applies. If a tenancy ends for another reason, the new rent stays linked to the old rent.
What this means in practice
- Get the starting rent right. Because increases are capped once a tenancy begins, an accurate rent at the start matters more than ever.
- Keep good records. Rent notices, comparable rents, inspection reports and correspondence all help if a question arises later.
- Know your landlord category. Count your tenancies carefully, because three or fewer and four or more lead to different rights.
- Register on time. Every tenancy must be registered with the RTB within one month of starting and every year after. See our RTB registration guide for landlords.
How Kennedy Property Services can help
Kennedy Property Services manages rental properties across North County Dublin from our office in Rush. We help landlords set the right rent, prepare compliant notices, register tenancies and keep records in order. Read about our property management service or letting service in Rush, or call John on 089 452 0241.
This guide is a general summary and not legal advice. Rules can change, so check the latest position with the Residential Tenancies Board or a solicitor before acting.
