DUBLIN — The Residential Tenancies Board has expanded its enforcement powers, giving it new ways to pursue landlords over certain rental-law breaches and more time to take action against offences.
The changes form part of the Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026, which was enacted in July and has introduced a series of changes to the day-to-day administration and enforcement of Ireland’s residential tenancy rules.
Most of the provisions came into effect on 14 September 2026, bringing new compliance requirements for landlords and additional enforcement tools for the RTB.
The changes do not replace the rental measures introduced in March. Instead, they add a further layer of registration, notice and enforcement requirements across the private rental sector.
For landlords, letting agents and operators of larger residential portfolios, the changes make accurate record-keeping and timely communication with the RTB increasingly important.
RTB can now issue fixed-payment notices
One of the most significant changes is the introduction of a new fixed-payment notice system.
The RTB can issue fixed payments of €100 or €200 for six specified breaches of the Residential Tenancies Acts. The legislation also provides for those amounts to increase in certain circumstances, up to €500 and €1,000.
The breaches covered by the new system include:
- failing to register a tenancy;
- failing to update tenancy details;
- failing to provide the RTB with evidence required to demonstrate compliance with national rent-control rules;
- failing to provide a valid rent-control exemption notice to the RTB;
- failing to serve a rent-review notice correctly on a tenant and provide a copy to the RTB; and
- failing to provide the RTB within the required period with information concerning how the rent was calculated at the beginning of a tenancy.
The fixed-payment regime operates alongside the RTB’s existing enforcement powers.
That means a fixed-payment notice is not the only potential consequence of non-compliance. Depending on the circumstances, the RTB can also investigate improper conduct or pursue an offence through the courts.
Landlords get more time to send certain notices to the RTB
The new legislation also changes some of the practical deadlines landlords need to follow.
For tenancies first created from 1 March 2026, landlords now have up to one month after the tenancy begins to provide the RTB with a copy of the rent-setting information that must be given to the tenant at the start of the tenancy.
Previously, the RTB copy had to be provided when the tenancy commenced.
The failure to provide the required information to the tenant at the beginning of the tenancy and to submit the copy to the RTB within the new timeframe has also been designated as improper conduct.
There is another change affecting termination and rent-review notices.
Landlords now have seven days after serving a notice on a tenant to provide a copy to the RTB.
That replaces the previous requirement for the notice to the tenant and the RTB to be served on the same day.
The change provides landlords with a longer administrative window, but it does not remove the underlying obligation to comply with the notice rules.
Termination notices still need to be served correctly
The changes also highlight the importance of the actual date on which a tenant receives a notice of termination.
The RTB has advised landlords to use methods that allow them to ensure the tenant receives the notice on the date stated in it.
That can include email, hand delivery or leaving the notice at the tenant’s address.
Posting a termination notice can create difficulties if the tenant does not receive it on the required date.
For landlords, this is an important distinction: having a notice prepared is not necessarily the same as having validly served it.
M10News has previously explained the rules in our guide on how a landlord can end a tenancy under Ireland’s rental laws.
Historic unregistered tenancies can now face enforcement
Another major change concerns tenancy registration.
The RTB’s enforcement powers have been expanded to cover tenancies that “ought to have been” registered.
This means the board can pursue historic registration failures rather than being limited to cases involving more recent non-registration.
The change could be particularly relevant for landlords who have failed to keep tenancy registrations up to date over a longer period.
It also increases the importance of landlords checking their existing records rather than assuming that only current registration failures will attract attention.
RTB has longer to prosecute offences
The time available to the RTB to bring proceedings for offences has also increased.
The limitation period has been extended from one year to three years.
That gives the board substantially more time to pursue alleged offences.
The legislation also increases the potential penalties for certain offences.
The maximum standard fine rises from €3,000 to €5,000, while the maximum daily fine for a continuing offence increases from €500 to €1,000.
The maximum imprisonment term also increases from six months to 12 months.
These changes represent a significant strengthening of the potential consequences associated with rental-law offences.
More RTB hearings will be public
The reforms also change how RTB enforcement proceedings are handled publicly.
RTB hearings will generally be held in public, subject to limited exceptions, and reports will be made available through the RTB website.
The change extends to oral hearings concerning investigations of improper conduct.
For landlords and property operators, that introduces another consideration when dealing with enforcement proceedings.
A dispute or investigation that previously might have attracted limited public attention can now result in a published report containing details of the proceedings.
The RTB has separately confirmed that adjudication hearings for applications made from 14 September 2026 are subject to the new public-hearing arrangements.
Evidence from Gardaí and housing authorities
The legislation also introduces changes for cases involving anti-social behaviour or property damage.
Statements from An Garda Síochána and housing authorities can be admitted as evidence in adjudication and tribunal proceedings where witnesses could otherwise be discouraged from giving evidence because of threats or violence.
The measure is intended to address situations where obtaining direct witness evidence can be difficult because of concerns about intimidation.
It gives the RTB and its tribunals another evidential route in cases involving serious behaviour affecting rental properties or neighbouring residents.
New rent rules for substantial property improvements
The legislation also changes how landlords can qualify for an exemption from national rent-control rules where a property has undergone substantial change.
The relevant test has moved away from the previous focus on improvements in the property’s BER rating.
The new approach uses improvements in primary energy use, measured in kWh/(m².y), with specific thresholds set out in legislation.
Landlords considering substantial renovation works therefore need to examine the precise statutory requirements before assuming that a property will qualify for an exemption.
The distinction is particularly important for landlords carrying out energy or refurbishment works with the intention of relying on an exemption from the national rent-control rules.
New exemption for certain rear-garden homes
The legislation also introduced an exemption from the Residential Tenancies Acts for certain planning-exempt dwellings located in the rear garden of a landlord’s principal private residence.
The exemption applies to qualifying dwellings first placed in a rear garden on or after 27 July 2026, with the relevant provision applying from 31 July.
This is more likely to affect individual homeowners than large institutional landlords or build-to-rent operators.
However, where a property falls within the exemption, the statutory conditions need to continue to be satisfied throughout the tenancy.
Enforcement of RTB orders is also being strengthened
The reforms provide for stronger enforcement of RTB determination orders through the District Court.
There are also changes intended to expand the High Court’s powers, including potential interim possession and rent-payment orders.
Those particular provisions require a further commencement order before they take effect.
Landlords and tenants therefore should not treat all of the enforcement changes as already operational.
The distinction between provisions that commenced on 14 September and those awaiting a further commencement order is important when considering what the RTB can currently do.
What the changes mean for landlords
For landlords, the message from the new enforcement framework is straightforward: rental-law compliance needs to be treated as an ongoing operational responsibility.
Registration, rent reviews, rent-setting information and notices all involve specific statutory requirements.
The new fixed-payment system gives the RTB another mechanism for dealing with certain failures without relying exclusively on the more formal investigation or prosecution routes.
The longer three-year period for bringing proceedings also means that historic compliance issues can remain relevant for considerably longer.
Landlords and property managers should therefore review their records and procedures, particularly around:
- tenancy registration and updates;
- rent-setting information;
- rent-review notices;
- termination notices;
- national rent-control compliance;
- exemption documentation; and
- communications with the RTB.
For larger PRS and build-to-rent operators, these obligations can involve hundreds or thousands of individual tenancy records, making consistent internal procedures particularly important.
What tenants should know
The changes also matter for tenants.
Renters should continue to receive the information and notices required under the Residential Tenancies Acts and can contact the RTB where they believe their landlord has failed to comply with rental law.
The RTB’s dispute-resolution system remains an important route for resolving disagreements between landlords and tenants.
M10News has previously covered how tenants and landlords can resolve rental disputes through the RTB.
Tenants should also keep copies of rent-review notices, termination notices, tenancy agreements and other correspondence connected with their tenancy.
Those records can become important if a dispute later reaches the RTB.
A stronger enforcement framework for the rental sector
The latest changes represent another stage in the expansion of Ireland’s rental-law framework.
The measures introduced in March 2026 changed important rules governing residential tenancies. The legislation that came into force in September adds new compliance deadlines, enforcement mechanisms and penalties.
The RTB now has the ability to issue fixed-payment notices for specified breaches, pursue historic registration failures and take proceedings within a longer three-year window.
At the same time, landlords have been given additional time for some administrative steps, including sending certain notices to the RTB after they have been served on tenants.
The result is a rental system in which procedural compliance is becoming increasingly important.
For landlords and property managers, maintaining accurate records and ensuring notices are served correctly can help avoid problems before they develop into enforcement proceedings.
For tenants, understanding their rights and retaining documentation can provide important protection when disputes arise.
The latest changes therefore affect more than large institutional landlords or build-to-rent operators. They form part of a broader shift towards more detailed monitoring and enforcement of Ireland’s residential tenancy rules.
M10News will continue to follow developments affecting Irish landlords, tenants, rents and the Residential Tenancies Board.
