Back to site

KEY CHANGES TO IRISH RENTAL LAW DUE SEPTEMBER 2026

Changes are coming for landlords and tenants across Ireland. From 14 September 2026, a new set of rules under the Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 will reshape how the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) enforces rental law, resolves disputes, and handles notices. 

What’s Changing

The RTB has flagged four major updates:

  • New enforcement powers — fixed payment notices for six common breaches of rental law
  • Public adjudication hearings — with full reports published online
  • New rules on serving notices — for terminations and rent reviews
  • Faster dispute timelines — updated appeal and hearing notice periods

Rosemary Steen, Director of the RTB, said the reforms are designed to strengthen compliance with rental law, improve transparency, and deliver a more effective service for both landlords and tenants. She added that the new system should help resolve certain breaches and disputes more quickly.

1. Fixed Payment Notices: A Faster Way to Enforce the Rules

The RTB can now issue an on-the-spot fixed payment notice for six specific breaches:

  1. Failing to register a tenancy
  2. Failing to update tenancy details
  3. Failing to provide rent-setting information at the start of a tenancy
  4. Setting rent above the legal limit
  5. Failing to notify the RTB of a rent exemption
  6. Failing to provide a rent review notice correctly

Landlords who receive a notice could face a €200 fine for a rent-related breach, or €100 for any of the other breaches. Importantly, this power sits alongside — not instead of — the RTB’s existing investigation and prosecution powers.

2. Adjudication Hearings Are Going Public

Perhaps the biggest shift: all RTB adjudication hearings will now be held in public, bringing them in line with RTB tribunal hearings, which are already open. In practice, this means:

  • A weekly schedule of hearings will be published on the RTB website
  • Members of the public can request to attend
  • Full adjudication reports — including party names, property address, evidence, and outcome — will be published online
  • The media will be free to report on published disputes

This only applies to new dispute applications made from 14 September 2026 onward — anything filed before that date stays private. Mediation cases remain confidential and their outcomes won’t be published, and in rare, exceptional circumstances the RTB may still agree to hold a hearing behind closed doors.

3. New Rules for Serving Notices

Landlords will have more time to notify the RTB. Previously, a notice of termination or rent review had to be sent to both the tenant and the RTB on the same day. From 14 September, landlords will have 7 days after serving the tenant to submit a copy to the RTB via the online RTB Service Centre.

There are also new distinctions in how notices reach tenants:

  • Rent-setting and rent review notices can be sent by email, post, or hand-delivered.
  • Termination notices should no longer be posted. Since the tenant must receive it on the exact date of service, the RTB recommends emailing it — or hand-delivering it, or leaving it at the tenant’s address, if email isn’t possible.

4. Shorter, More Standardised Timelines

To speed up dispute resolution, notice periods are being streamlined:

  • Tribunal hearing notice drops from 21 calendar days to 10 working days
  • The appeal window for mediation cases moves from 10 calendar days to 10 working days, now matching the adjudication appeal period

What Should Landlords and Tenants Do Now?

With the changes taking effect on 14 September 2026, it’s worth getting familiar with the new requirements before they land — particularly the fixed payment notice breaches and the updated notice-serving rules. For full details, visit rtb.ie.

Pagespeed Optimization by Lighthouse.