Landlords to self-assess market rates on rent register

By Cillian Sherlock, Press Association

Landlords will be expected to self-assess whether the rents they set truly reflect market rates under the Government’s rental reforms.

Housing Minister James Browne secured Cabinet approval on Tuesday for a new Residential Tenancies Bill, which will introduce tenancies of minimum duration, establish a rental price register, and restrictions on no-fault evictions.

Once enacted, the Bill’s provisions will come into effect for new tenancies created from March onwards.

The legislation was devised to address investors’ long-standing complaints that Irish rent regulations were not attractive.

Ministers say the Bill will improve rental unit delivery – particularly in the chronic shortage of apartments around Dublin – and provide greater security for tenants.

It is widely acknowledged the proposals will lead to a rise in rents but this has not been officially modelled, and opposition TDs on the Housing Committee have recommended the Bill be scrapped entirely.

Under the legislation, market rent will need to have regard to similar properties with similar characteristics, size, energy rating, and the local electoral area.

This information will be contained on a new national rent register maintained by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) and will involve self-assessment from landlords.

The measure is likely to lead to a series of disputes for the RTB following queries from prospective tenants and the board’s own investigations.

However, it is not envisaged that the rent register system itself will automatically flag a rent inputted by a landlord that is an outlier to market rates.

It is understood there will be potential fines for landlords for “improper behaviour” in misusing the rent register.

Rent control nationwide will be linked to 2 per cent per year or the Consumer Price Index (CPI) metric for inflation, whichever is lower.

However, rent increases for new apartments will be linked to CPI only – and will not have the 2 per cent cap in times of high inflation.

The Bill also provides for tenancies of minimum duration of six years.

However, smaller landlords (those with up to three tenancies) will be able to end agreements within the six-year period if they are facing financial hardship or a close family member is moving into the property.

At the end of six years, they can also end it for refurbishment, change of use, or sale of the property.

A property can be sold at any time with tenant-in-situ, and it is envisaged this would become more common.

All landlords will retain the right to terminate a tenancy where there is a breach of tenant obligations.

Given the high turnover in student tenancies, there is also provision for a freeze on resetting student-specific accommodation until 2029 and a three-year cycle thereafter.

The RTB’s budget increased by 70 per cent in 2026 to deal with the new measures and will mean additional staff, a new resolution centre and a call centre.

Sinn Féin housing spokesman Eoin Ó Broin described the plan as a “rent-hike Bill”, arguing that the consequence of this “terrible piece of legislation” will be that tenants will see their rents reset to market rents over a period of time.

“We are going to fight this Bill tooth and nail, because renters have had enough and they simply can’t take any more.”

He and other opposition politicians have argued that current trends on tenancy length and new tenancy registrations suggest the majority of rents will be at market rates within four years.

Mr Browne dismissed the criticism on Tuesday, stating: “We’re hearing a lot of slogans with very few solutions from the Opposition.

“Where we are right now and why we’re doing this is that we have rolling temporary measures around rent regulation in this country, and we know it has killed investment.

“And our housing crisis is a supply crisis, our rental crisis is a supply crisis, our homeless crisis is a supply crisis. The only way we’re going to solve any of these is by increasing supply.

“What I brought is a very balanced and measured proposal in terms of a new Bill to give us a permanent rent regulation in this country, it gives certainty to tenants and landlords and investors – but for renters, it really strengthens their protections.”

It is also envisaged that the proposals will lead to an increase in the length of tenancy and a date for when most renters will be paying market rates is not currently modelled.

Asked by reporters how he could defend guillotining debate time and parliamentary procedure around the Bill, Mr Browne said there had been ample time for debate since the measure was announced last summer and added that there had been pre-legislative scrutiny at committee.

Pressed on whether there would be rent increases as a result of the legislation, the minister said “there may be a certain amount” but argued that they would also increase if there was not a drive for further supply.

During Leaders’ Questions, Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns said the Government’s plan would rise rents “even higher” and questioned why the focus of the Government is “constantly on the protection of landlords’ profits”.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the Bill actually provided for the “most significant improvement in rental protection in the history of the State”.