How the check works
The Residential Tenancies Board keeps a public register of every private, Approved Housing Body and cost rental tenancy registered with it right now. Search it by Eircode or address and it answers one question: is there a current registration at this address? On rtb.ie the answer reads Found = Y or Found = N (RTB, tenancy registration check). It does not show the landlord’s name, the rent or the RT number.
- Enter the Eircode. Type the Eircode of the rented home. For an apartment, add the address with the unit number too.
- Read the answer. Found means the RTB register has a current registered tenancy at that address. Not found means it has none under that address.
- Try other address forms. The register matches the address as the landlord typed it, so try it with and without the unit number, the building name and commas.
- Ask for the RT number. If it is still missing, ask the landlord for the RT number on the RTB's confirmation letter. Registrations made online show within 48 hours.
- Report it if it is not registered. Anyone can report an unregistered tenancy to the RTB on its Report a Landlord webform or on 0818 303038.
Why a registered home can show as not found
Most misses are about the address, not the landlord. Whoever registers types the address in, and the RTB search is sensitive to capital letters, spacing, commas and apostrophes. Apartments are the usual casualty: “Apt 4, 12 Leinster Road” and “12 Leinster Road, Apartment 4” can come back differently. Timing is the other reason. An online registration takes up to 48 hours to appear; one sent on the paper RTB1 form takes longer. And the register only holds current tenancies, so an old one that has ended is gone, with no history to search.
Some homes are simply not on it because they do not have to be: a room in the owner’s own home, a holiday let, local authority housing, and, since 27 July 2026, a garden unit added under the planning exemption behind the owner’s main home. Student specific accommodation has its own separate register.
If it really is not registered
For a tenant, nothing you are owed depends on it. The RTB says a tenant is protected under the Residential Tenancies Act even where the landlord never registered: rent limits, security of tenure after 6 months, and the dispute service. You can still claim the Rent Tax Credit and explain the missing number (our guide). Ask the landlord in writing to register. If nothing happens, report it through the RTB’s Report a Landlord webform or on 0818 303038.
For a landlord, register now: late fees add €10 a month and the RTB can issue a €100 fixed payment notice after two letters. The RTB registration guide has the fees, dates and what to have ready. When the rent changes, the registration is updated within a month, and the change itself needs a valid Notice of Rent Review. If you are about to review the rent, the rent review report checks the figure and fills in the notice.
Checking because a notice has arrived? The rent check compares the rent with similar registered homes nearby, and the tenant rights guide explains how long you can stay.