Ireland’s national rent-control system introduced on 1 March 2026 limits most rent increases during a tenancy, but landlords can still reset a rent to market level in specific circumstances.
The rules replaced the previous Rent Pressure Zone system with a national framework covering private tenancies across Ireland. For most private tenancies, rent can be increased once every 12 months by 2% or the rate of inflation, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), whichever is lower.
A market-rent reset is different from an ordinary annual rent review. It allows the rent to be set at the current market level when the legal conditions for a reset are met.
When can rent be reset to market level?
For private tenancies created from 1 March 2026, a landlord can reset the rent to market level when a new tenancy begins in certain circumstances.
The RTB lists the following situations:
- The previous tenant left the property by choice.
- The previous tenant breached their tenancy obligations, such as failing to pay rent.
- The property no longer suited the tenant’s needs.
- It is the first tenancy in the property.
- The property has not been rented for at least two years, or at least one year where it is a protected structure.
- The property is a protected structure that has not been rented for at least one year.
- The previous tenancy ended because of substantial renovation and the property was offered back to the previous tenant.
There is also a separate opportunity for landlords to reset the rent at the end of a six-year Tenancy of Minimum Duration for private tenancies created from 1 March 2026.
Landlords cannot reset rent after every type of termination
The new rules do not allow a landlord to end a tenancy without fault and then simply raise the rent to market level for the next tenant.
A market-rent reset is generally not allowed for a new tenancy where the previous tenancy ended because the landlord intended to sell the property, needed it for themselves or a family member, or planned to change its use, where the relevant conditions for a no-fault termination apply.
The RTB describes these as situations where the previous tenancy ended through a “no-fault termination”. The restriction is intended to prevent economic evictions being used to obtain a higher rent.
There is an important exception where a property has remained unlet for at least two years. In that situation, the rent for the next tenancy can be set at market level even if the previous tenancy ended following a no-fault termination.
What counts as market rent?
A landlord cannot simply choose any rent they want when using one of the permitted reset grounds.
The RTB says market rent is the amount a tenant would reasonably pay for a similar property in a comparable area when the tenancy begins.
From 1 March 2026, landlords setting or resetting rent to market level must show that the proposed rent is not higher than rents for comparable properties and reflects current local market conditions.
The RTB Rent Register is used for this purpose. Landlords must provide details of three comparable properties, with the examples based on similar size, type and character, including BER rating.
This makes the Rent Register an important part of the new rent-setting system, particularly where there is a significant difference between the previous rent and the proposed market rent.
Strict rules apply to rent reviews
Even where a landlord is entitled to increase rent, the correct procedure must be followed.
For an ordinary rent review, the landlord must generally serve the rent review notice on the tenant and the RTB on the same day. The notice must also include information supporting how the new rent was calculated, including the previous rent, the date it was last set, the relevant RTB Rent Calculator information and details of three comparable properties from the RTB Rent Register.
If the required notice is not properly served on the RTB, the rent review notice can be invalid.
That means the legal entitlement to increase or reset a rent is only part of the process. Landlords must also comply with the notification and evidence requirements.
Special rules apply to new apartments and student accommodation
Not every rental property follows exactly the same annual increase rules.
For certain newly built apartments and student-specific accommodation where construction commenced from 10 June 2025, the 2% annual cap does not apply. Instead, annual increases can follow CPI even where inflation is above 2%. Specific criteria must be met for a property to qualify.
Student Specific Accommodation also has different rules for market-rent resets. Unlike private tenancies, it cannot generally be reset between every tenancy. The RTB says SSA market-rent resets will be permitted once every three years from 1 March 2029.
Approved Housing Body and cost-rental tenancies are also outside the national private-rent controls and operate under separate rules.
What this means for tenants and landlords
The new system creates a distinction between protecting an existing tenant from large annual increases and allowing a landlord to establish a market rent when a legally permitted reset occurs.
For most private tenancies, an ordinary annual increase is limited to 2% or CPI, whichever is lower. A market-rent reset is only available where the tenancy and property meet the conditions set out in the legislation.
For tenants, this means a rent increase should not automatically be treated as a market-rent reset. It is important to establish why the landlord is changing the rent and whether the relevant legal conditions and notice requirements have been met.
For landlords, the new system provides defined circumstances in which rent can be reset, but the RTB’s evidence and notification requirements must be followed.
The RTB says its guidance is a simplified explanation of the law and is not a substitute for the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, as amended. Where there is a dispute over a rent increase or reset, the RTB’s official guidance and dispute-resolution processes should be consulted.
