New Rent Rules: What Landlords Need To Know

From 1 March 2026, new national rules for residential tenancies came into effect, changing how rents are set, increased, and how tenancies can be ended. These updates aim to bring consistency across Ireland by replacing Rent Pressure Zones with a single nationwide system. Below, we’ve answered some of the most common questions to help both landlords and tenants understand what the new rules mean in practice.

 

Q: Do these new rent rules apply to all tenancies?
A: No the changes only apply to new tenancies created on or after 1 March 2026. Existing tenancies continue under the old rules for now, including termination of tenancies and the previous rent increase caps based on Rent Pressure Zones.

 

Q: What is a Tenancy of Minimum Duration?
A:  All new tenancies created on or after 1 March 2026, automatically become a Tenancy of Minimum Duration (TMD). This is effectively a six-year rolling tenancy. After six years it automatically renews for another six years.

 

Q: Can I end a new tenancy whenever I want?
A: During the first six months, you can terminate for any reason. 

After six months, you can only end a tenancy that commenced on or after 1 March 2026 if:

• A tenant breaches their obligations.
• The property is no longer suitable for the tenant’s needs.

If a landlord has 4 or more tenancies (or is a company): The 2 reasons above are the only reasons they can end a tenancy.

If a landlord has 1-3 tenancies: There are some additional reasons they can end a tenancy:    

- During a 6-year tenancy cycle (Tenancy of Minimum Duration):

• If they need to sell to avoid undue financial or other hardship.
• If the landlord or a close family member needs to live in the property
  
  

- At the end of a 6-year tenancy cycle:

• If the landlord or a family member needs to live in the property.
• To sell the property.
• To substantially refurbish or renovate.
• To change the use of the property.

 

Q: What has changed about rent increases?
A: There’s now a national rent control system for all tenancies. Rent can only be increased once per year by 2 % or the rate of inflation (CPI), whichever is lower.

This replaces the patchwork of local Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) with one nationwide cap for most private rented dwellings.

 

Q: Can I reset the rent to the current market rate?
A: Yes but only in specific circumstances for new tenancies created after 1 March. The main cases are:

• When a new tenancy begins and the previous tenant left voluntarily, breached obligations, or the home is no longer suitable.
• At the end of a six-year tenancy cycle.
• A reset cannot be applied after a no-fault eviction.

For existing tenancies (started before 1 March 2026), resetting to market rent is not allowed.

 

Q: Are there exceptions to the rent cap?
A: Yes there is. New build apartments (where construction started after 10 June 2025) are exempt from the 2% cap; their increases can follow CPI only.

Student-specific accommodation has slightly different reset rules, with potential rent resets every three years due to how those tenancies typically churn.

 

Q: Anything else landlords should be aware of?
A: Landlords must support rent-reset proposals with comparable market data. The RTB will monitor compliance with the new national rent control rules. Selling with tenants in situ remains possible, but the tenancy protections and roll-over rules continue to apply.

 

Q: I still have some questions, where can I get more information?

You can find out more detailed information on the Rental Tenancies Board website. Alternatively, get in touch with our Lettings team and they can guide you through what  you need to know for your own individual circumstances.

 

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