Certain provisions of the Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 (the “Act”) will come into effect on Monday 14 September 2026.
The changes are particularly relevant to institutional landlords, PRS investors, funders, asset managers and managing agents with exposure to Irish residential tenancies, as they affect notice procedures, rent-setting compliance and Residential Tenancies Board (“RTB”) dispute processes.
- More flexibility on serving notices on the RTB. From 14 September 2026, the landlord must serve a copy rent review notice or notice of termination on the RTB within seven days of serving it on the tenant. Under the old legislation, the landlord had to serve the notice on both the tenant and the RTB on the same day.
- Extended timeframe for furnishing rent setting information to the RTB. From 14 September 2026, the landlord will have one month to provide prescribed rent setting information to the RTB, including the previous rent, the date of the last rent setting, rent calculation, previous RTB registration number and comparative rental data. Landlords must continue to provide this information to the tenant at the commencement of a tenancy.
- Fixed payment notices for certain breaches. In addition to existing powers, the RTB will have new powers to issue fixed payment notices for breaches of residential tenancy law. A fixed payment notice may be issued in respect of matters including failure to register a tenancy, failure to update tenancy details or failure to provide required rent setting information at the start of a tenancy. The fixed payment amount is €100 or €200 (can be increased by Ministerial direction), depending on the breach, with provision for escalation to prosecution and a potential class A fine (currently up to €5,000) and a criminal conviction.
- Public RTB adjudication hearings. RTB adjudication hearings will be held in public, in line with the current procedure for RTB tribunal hearings. RTB mediations will continue to be held in private.
The Act also makes a number of procedural changes to Irish residential tenancy law including changes to appeal and hearing rules for certain RTB dispute cases, notice periods for the termination of tenancies of less than six months and the circumstances in which the RTB may apply the slip rule to correct certain minor errors in a notice of termination or allow a remedial notice of termination.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
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