For landlords and agents
Letting a home in 2026, step by step
Six moments in a tenancy where the law asks something of you. For each one: what to do, why it matters, and what happens if it is missed. The rules changed on 1 March and again on 14 September 2026, so this follows the current text.
Checked against the Residential Tenancies Acts and RTB guidance on 26 Sept 2026. Information, not legal advice.
- 01Before you advertise · Work out the rent the law allows
- 02The day the tenancy starts · Give the rent setting information
- 03Within one month · Register the tenancy with the RTB
- 04While the tenant lives there · Repairs, access and receipts
- 05Once in 12 months · Review the rent on the RTB form
- 06If the tenancy ends · A valid notice, and what it does to the next rent
01 · Before you advertise
Work out the rent the law allows
For a tenancy that starts from 1 March 2026 you can go to market rent only if the home is let for the first time, has had no tenancy for 2 years, the last tenant left by their own notice, or you ended the last tenancy for breach, arrears or because the home no longer suited them. A substantial change to the home also opens it: an extension of at least 25%, a large cut in energy use on the BER, or three of five listed works.
In every other case the rent is the last rent plus 2% a year, pro rata, or the rise in the CSO consumer price index, whichever is lower. Market rent is a ceiling either way: no rent may be above what similar homes let for.
The advert must show the BER of the home, and the home must meet the minimum standards before anyone moves in.
Why it matters
Set the rent too high and the tenant can claim back every euro above the limit, up to €20,000 in one case, plus an RTB fine of up to €200 and an investigation with a sanction of up to €15,000. The tenant signing the lease at that rent does not protect you.
If it is missing, or you are not sure
Not sure which case you are in? Our Letting Price Report asks how the last tenancy ended, applies the rule and shows the figure the register supports, with three comparable RT numbers.
Price the home from the registerSetting the rent for a new tenancy
02 · The day the tenancy starts
Give the rent setting information
For tenancies from 1 March 2026 you give the tenant in writing, at the start: the last rent under the previous tenancy and the date it was set, the RT number of that tenancy, how the new rent was worked out, and three comparable tenancies from the RTB Rent Register with their rent and RT number. The RTB Notice of Rent Setting form holds all of it.
The RTB gets the same information. For tenancies that start from 14 September 2026 you have one month.
If you rely on an exemption to reach market rent, a Notice of Exemption goes to the RTB and the tenant within one month.
The deposit can be no more than one month’s rent, and rent paid in advance no more than one month. Give a signed, dated receipt and your contact details.
Why it matters
In any rent dispute the first question is how the rent was worked out. This form is your answer, written on day one. For tenancies from 14 September 2026, not sending it to the RTB can bring a €100 fine after two letters, and a missing exemption notice up to €200.
If it is missing, or you are not sure
Already let without it? Give it now and keep proof of when. The report fills in the Notice of Rent Setting with the three RT numbers and the calculation.
03 · Within one month
Register the tenancy with the RTB
Register within one month of the start date. The fee is €40, plus €10 for each month or part of a month late. Renew every year on the anniversary.
Update the registration within one month of any new rent taking effect.
Why it matters
If the tenant stops paying, you need the RTB to get the money back, and an unregistered landlord cannot bring a dispute there. Not registering, or not updating the rent, can also bring a €100 fine each. Tenants need the RT number for the Rent Tax Credit, so they will ask for it.
If it is missing, or you are not sure
Late? Register now: the late fee grows each month and stops when you register.
04 · While the tenant lives there
Repairs, access and receipts
Keep the home up to the minimum standards and do repairs within a reasonable time. Enter only with the tenant’s permission, except in an emergency, and give notice of inspections.
Give rent receipts or statements, and insure the building.
Why it matters
The local authority enforces the standards and can stop you re-letting until the work is done. Timing matters too: a rent review or a notice that lands soon after a complaint can be treated as punishing the tenant, which the law forbids. A notice to end the tenancy served that way is invalid.
If it is missing, or you are not sure
A repair is disputed? Put what you will do and when in writing. It is the record an adjudicator looks for.
05 · Once in 12 months
Review the rent on the RTB form
No more than once every 12 months. A few older tenancies in areas that became Rent Pressure Zones in June 2025 wait 24 months if the rent was set before that date.
Serve the Notice of Rent Review at least 90 days before the new rent starts. It must give three comparable tenancies with their RT numbers, the floor area, the BER and the calculation with the index figures. Send a copy to the RTB within 7 days of serving it.
The new rent is the current rent plus 2% a year or inflation, whichever is lower, and never above market rent.
Why it matters
One missing piece makes the notice invalid: no RTB copy, fewer than three RT numbers, less than 90 days. The rent then stays where it was, the tenant can challenge it with no deadline, and you wait to start again. A notice served wrongly can also bring a fine of up to €200.
If it is missing, or you are not sure
Not sure the cap or the market is the limit? The Rent Review Report gives both, the earliest date, and the form filled in with the RTB calculator printout.
Rent review for a sitting tenantNotice of Rent Review, field by field
06 · If the tenancy ends
A valid notice, and what it does to the next rent
The notice is in writing, signed, dated the day the tenant receives it, with a reason the law allows once the tenancy is past 6 months, the right notice period (90 to 224 days by length of tenancy) and a copy to the RTB within 7 days.
Return the deposit promptly, keeping back only arrears, the tenant’s unpaid bills, damage beyond normal wear and tear, or the shortfall from short notice.
Why it matters
Miss one of these and the notice is invalid, so the tenancy simply goes on. The reason also sets your next rent. End it to sell, to move in or to refurbish, and for 2 years the next tenancy starts from the old rent plus the cap, not from market rent.
If it is missing, or you are not sure
Check the reason and the period before you serve. The tenant has 90 days to dispute a notice, 28 if it is for a breach.
Guides for landlords
Notice of termination in Ireland 2026: notice periods, valid reasons, the 7-day RTB copy
A notice of termination in Ireland must give 90 to 224 days, state a valid reason after 6 months and reach the RTB within 7 days. The 2026 rules in full.
RTB registration 2026: fee, deadline, late fees and fines
RTB registration costs €40, due within a month of the tenancy start and every year after. Late fee €10 a month; €100 fixed payment notice since 14 September.
Landlord obligations in Ireland 2026: a checklist
Landlord obligations in Ireland 2026: register within a month, rent setting notice, one-month deposit cap, minimum standards, 7-day RTB copies, new fines.
Rent Pressure Zones in 2026: what changed when the whole country became one
RPZs began in Dublin and Cork in December 2016 and covered all of Ireland by June 2025. Since 1 March 2026 one national rule replaces them. What the cap is now, where the zones still matter, and how to check an old increase.
RTB forms: which one for what, and what happens if you use the wrong one
Notice of Rent Review, Notice of Rent Setting, the two exemption notices, the overpaid rent calculation and the dispute application: who fills each, when, what it must contain, and where to send it.
Daft Rental Report vs RTB Rent Index: why the two rent figures never match
Daft counts asking rents on adverts; the RTB Rent Index counts rents actually registered. Q2 2026 Daft: €2,204 for a two-bed. Q4 2025 RTB: €1,755 across all new tenancies. Which one a landlord, a tenant and an adjudicator should use.
Can a landlord increase rent every year in Ireland? The 12-month rule, the 90 days and the cap
Once in 12 months, by no more than 2% a year or inflation, never above market rent, with 90 days' written notice and a copy to the RTB. What changed on 1 March 2026 and where the exceptions are.
Renting rather than letting? Renting a home in 2026, step by step
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