DUBLIN — Tenants and landlords who cannot resolve a rental dispute themselves can bring the matter to the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), which provides several ways of resolving disagreements.
Two of the main options are mediation and adjudication. Although both are designed to resolve disputes between landlords, tenants and, in some cases, affected third parties, they operate in very different ways.
Mediation is designed to help the parties reach an agreement with the assistance of a mediator. Adjudication is a more formal process in which an independent adjudicator considers the evidence and rental law before making a legally binding decision.
For anyone facing a disagreement over rent, a deposit, a Notice of Termination, rent arrears, property damage or another tenancy issue, understanding the difference between the two processes can be important.
For a broader explanation of the RTB system, see How RTB Disputes Work in Ireland: A Step-by-Step Guide, which explains the different stages of resolving a tenancy dispute.
RTB mediation vs adjudication at a glance
| Feature | RTB Mediation | RTB Adjudication |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | €30 |
| Approach | Parties work towards an agreement | Independent adjudicator decides the dispute |
| Formality | Less formal | More formal |
| Role of RTB official | Mediator facilitates discussion | Adjudicator considers evidence and law |
| Evidence | Not used to decide who is right or wrong | Evidence is formally considered |
| Outcome | Agreement recorded in a legally binding Determination Order | Legally binding decision |
| Confidentiality | Private and confidential | Public for applications made from 14 September 2026 |
| 2025 average resolution time | 10 weeks | 20 weeks |
The RTB describes mediation as a free service designed to help landlords and tenants reach a legally binding agreement. Adjudication costs €30 and involves an independent adjudicator reviewing evidence and applying the law.
What is RTB mediation?
Mediation is the RTB’s less formal dispute-resolution process.
It is free, voluntary and confidential. Rather than asking an adjudicator to decide who is right or wrong, a mediator works with the parties to try to reach an agreement.
The RTB describes mediation as its preferred method of resolving disputes. It is generally conducted by telephone, although other arrangements can be made where appropriate.
During mediation, the mediator helps the parties understand the issues, explains relevant rights and obligations and assists them in exploring possible solutions.
The parties do not necessarily have to speak directly to each other during the process.
This can be useful where both sides want to resolve the dispute without going through a more formal adjudication hearing.
Is an agreement reached through mediation legally binding?
Yes.
If the parties reach an agreement through RTB mediation, the terms of that agreement are recorded in a legally binding Determination Order.
The mediator does not decide which party is legally correct. The outcome comes from an agreement reached between the parties with the mediator’s assistance.
The RTB says the mediation agreement remains confidential and is not published on its website.
In 2025, the average time to resolve a mediation case was 10 weeks.
What is RTB adjudication?
Adjudication is a more formal RTB dispute-resolution process.
Instead of helping the parties reach their own agreement, an independent adjudicator reviews the evidence presented by the parties and makes a decision based on the evidence and the law.
The adjudicator’s decision is legally binding.
An adjudication application currently costs €30.
The process can deal with many types of tenancy disputes, including disagreements involving rent, rent arrears, property damage, overholding and the termination of a tenancy.
Adjudication is more formal than mediation because the outcome is determined by an independent adjudicator rather than negotiated between the parties.
In 2025, the average time to resolve an adjudication case was 20 weeks, compared with 10 weeks for mediation.
The main difference between mediation and adjudication
The simplest way to understand the distinction is:
Mediation helps the parties reach an agreement. Adjudication results in an independent decision.
With mediation, the parties remain responsible for deciding whether to accept a proposed solution.
With adjudication, the independent adjudicator considers the evidence and the law and determines the outcome.
Another important distinction is that mediation is confidential, while RTB adjudication hearings are now public for applications made from 14 September 2026.
A major change to RTB adjudication from September 2026
There is an important difference between mediation and adjudication that became particularly significant on 14 September 2026.
RTB adjudication hearings are now public for dispute applications made from that date.
The RTB publishes a weekly schedule of adjudication hearings, and members of the public can attend hearings as observers. The RTB also publishes the full adjudication report on its website.
The published report can contain information including:
- the names of the parties;
- the rental property address;
- details of the evidence presented; and
- the outcome of the dispute.
The media may also report on published dispute details.
This is different from mediation.
RTB mediation cases remain private, and mediation outcomes are not published on the RTB website.
The September 2026 change applies to dispute applications made from 14 September 2026. Cases where a party applied for dispute resolution before that date are not subject to the new public-hearing arrangements.
The RTB says there can be very limited and exceptional circumstances in which an adjudication or tribunal hearing is held privately.
For landlords and tenants, this makes confidentiality a much clearer distinction between mediation and adjudication.
How does the RTB mediation process work?
A landlord or tenant can make an application to the RTB for dispute resolution.
If mediation is used, the mediator speaks with the parties and establishes the circumstances surrounding the dispute.
The mediator can explain relevant rights and obligations and help the parties consider possible solutions.
Importantly, the mediator does not act as a judge.
The purpose is to help the parties reach an agreement themselves.
For example, imagine a landlord and tenant disagree about a €1,200 deposit.
The landlord believes €500 should be retained because of damage to the property. The tenant disputes the amount and says the damage was either pre-existing or normal wear and tear.
Through mediation, the parties may agree that a smaller amount is retained and the remainder of the deposit is returned.
The mediator has not decided that the landlord or tenant was legally correct. Instead, the parties have reached an agreement.
If an agreement is reached, its terms can be recorded in a legally binding Determination Order.
Unlike adjudication, mediation is not a process in which an independent decision-maker determines the dispute after assessing the evidence and applying the law.
How does RTB adjudication work?
Adjudication follows a different approach.
The parties provide evidence relating to the dispute, and an independent adjudicator considers the evidence and applicable rental law.
The adjudicator then decides the outcome.
Evidence can be particularly important in disputes involving questions such as whether rent was paid, whether damage occurred, whether proper notice was served or whether a rent increase complied with the applicable rules.
Anyone preparing for an adjudication should therefore keep relevant documents and records.
Depending on the dispute, this could include:
- tenancy agreements;
- rent payment records;
- bank statements;
- photographs;
- correspondence;
- emails and text messages;
- notices;
- inspection reports;
- invoices and receipts;
- records of repairs;
- rent-setting or rent-review information; and
- other documents directly connected with the dispute.
The RTB requires parties to submit relevant evidence within the applicable timeframe.
This is one reason adjudication can feel more formal than mediation. The adjudicator reviews the evidence before reaching a decision.
What happens if mediation does not resolve the dispute?
Mediation does not necessarily have to be the end of the matter.
If no agreement is reached through mediation, a party may apply for adjudication or appeal to a tribunal, depending on the circumstances. The RTB specifically states that either party can appeal the outcome of a mediation to a tribunal.
Under the rules applying from 14 September 2026, a party has 10 working days to appeal a mediation case to a tribunal. The period does not include Saturdays, Sundays or bank holidays.
A tribunal is a full rehearing of the relevant facts of the dispute and is the final stage of the RTB dispute-resolution process.
For a wider explanation of the different stages, see How RTB Disputes Work in Ireland: A Step-by-Step Guide.
The RTB currently charges €30 for a tribunal appeal following mediation and €85 following adjudication.
The RTB recorded an average resolution time of 17 weeks for tribunal cases in 2025.
Can an adjudication decision be challenged?
Yes. An adjudication decision can be appealed to an RTB tribunal.
A tribunal is not simply a review of the adjudicator’s written decision. It is a full rehearing of the relevant facts of the dispute.
The parties can present additional relevant evidence before the tribunal.
Under the rules applying from 14 September 2026, a party has 10 working days from receiving the adjudication report to appeal the decision to a tribunal. Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays are excluded from the calculation.
The current fee for appealing an adjudication case to a tribunal is €85.
Because the appeal deadline is strict, a party who wants to challenge an adjudication outcome should pay close attention to when the adjudication report is delivered.
Which disputes can go to mediation or adjudication?
There is considerable overlap between the types of disputes that can be dealt with through mediation and adjudication.
Examples include:
Rent arrears
A landlord may claim that a tenant has failed to pay rent, while a tenant may dispute the amount claimed or argue that payments were made.
Rent increases
A tenant may dispute whether a rent increase complies with the applicable rental rules.
Evidence concerning the rent and the calculation behind a rent review can become important.
For background on how rental market data is used when discussing rents, see RTB-ESRI Rent Index: How Ireland’s Rental Market Is Measured.
Damage to a property
A landlord may seek compensation for damage, while a tenant may argue that the damage amounts to normal wear and tear or was present before the tenancy.
Photographs, inspection records, correspondence and invoices can become important evidence.
Deposit disputes
Disagreements over the return or retention of a deposit can also become RTB disputes.
Overholding
A dispute can arise when a tenant remains in a property after the tenancy should have ended.
Notice of Termination disputes
A tenant may challenge a Notice of Termination if they believe it was not valid or was not served correctly.
These cases can involve detailed questions about the notice itself, the reason given for ending the tenancy and whether the statutory requirements were followed.
Landlords and tenants dealing specifically with termination issues can also read How a Landlord Can End a Tenancy From 1 March 2026 for further information on the rules surrounding ending a tenancy.
Does mediation mean the landlord or tenant has to compromise?
Not necessarily.
Mediation is voluntary, so a party does not have to accept a proposed settlement simply because it has been suggested during the process.
The purpose of the mediator is to help the parties explore whether an agreement can be reached.
That is fundamentally different from adjudication, where the adjudicator determines the outcome.
Some disputes may be capable of being resolved through an agreed practical solution, while others may involve disagreements about facts or legal obligations that the parties cannot settle themselves.
Is mediation faster than adjudication?
According to the RTB’s published 2025 figures, mediation was faster on average.
The average time to resolve a case was:
These are averages across cases and do not mean that every individual dispute will take exactly the same amount of time.
The length of a case can depend on the circumstances, the evidence required, the parties involved and the stage reached in the dispute process.
The RTB’s current guidance confirms the 2025 average of 20 weeks for adjudication and 17 weeks for tribunal cases.
What is the biggest difference for landlords and tenants?
The biggest practical distinction is who determines the outcome.
With mediation, the landlord and tenant remain responsible for reaching an agreement. The mediator helps them communicate and understand the issues but does not impose a decision.
With adjudication, the independent adjudicator makes the decision after considering the evidence and rental law.
There is also now a significant difference in privacy.
Mediation remains confidential, while adjudication hearings for applications made from 14 September 2026 are public and the RTB publishes the full adjudication report.
That change means landlords and tenants should understand the nature of each process before deciding how to proceed.
RTB mediation vs adjudication: the key points
Mediation and adjudication are not simply two names for the same RTB process.
Mediation is a confidential, free and voluntary process designed to help the parties reach their own legally binding agreement.
Adjudication is a more formal process that costs €30 and involves an independent adjudicator deciding the dispute on the basis of evidence and rental law.
The RTB’s 2025 figures show an average resolution time of 10 weeks for mediation and 20 weeks for adjudication. Tribunal cases took an average of 17 weeks.
There is also an important difference in privacy following the September 2026 changes: mediation remains private, while adjudication hearings for applications made from 14 September 2026 are public and their full reports are published by the RTB.
Understanding these differences can help landlords and tenants know what to expect when a rental dispute cannot be resolved directly.
Related
- How RTB Disputes Work in Ireland: A Step-by-Step Guide
- RTB Tribunal Explained: What Happens at a Tribunal Hearing?
- How to Challenge an Eviction Notice Through the RTB
- What Makes an Eviction Notice Invalid in Ireland?
- What Evidence Matters in an RTB Dispute?
