Skip to content
Move with confidence.
Destination  Ireland

Rent Pressure Zones are gone – Ireland's 2026 rent rules, deposits, HAP and what a home costs

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

Ireland scrapped Rent Pressure Zones on 28 February 2026 and replaced them with one national cap on rent increases. Rents in new tenancies still rose 9.1 per cent in a year. Here is what the 2026 rules mean when you sign, what a deposit may cost, how HAP works and what buying involves.

Woman standing at a tall window in an empty apartment looking out over the city
Photo: madhourse/Adobe Stock

If you are looking for a home in Ireland this autumn, the rulebook is new. Rent Pressure Zones, extended nationwide on 20 June 2025, were dismantled on 28 February 2026; since 1 March 2026 one national cap applies to rent increases, and since 14 September 2026 the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) can fine landlords on the spot for breaking it. The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), where the council pays part of your rent, has limits set council by council.

What replaced Rent Pressure Zones on 1 March 2026?

The Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 rewrote the rules on rent increases, security of tenure and ending a tenancy for tenancies created on or after 1 March 2026; earlier tenancies keep the old rules, so ask when yours started. The cap, now measured against the Consumer Price Index (CPI), applies to everyone.

For new tenancies a landlord may reset the rent to market level between tenancies – when the previous tenant left voluntarily or broke their obligations, or after the six-year tenancy of minimum duration – but never after a no-fault eviction, and only citing three comparable properties from the RTB register. The RTB says this reset right helps explain the jump in new-tenancy rents in early 2026. New apartments with a commencement notice on or after 10 June 2025 follow CPI without the 2 per cent cap.

RuleWhat appliesSince
Annual increaseAt most 2 per cent, or CPI inflation if lower1 March 2026
Notice of a new rentAt least 90 daysIn force
Copy to the RTB7 days from serving the notice, or it is invalid14 September 2026
On-the-spot fine€200 for rent above the limit or a faulty notice14 September 2026

Source: Citizens Information and the Residential Tenancies Board, read 24 September 2026.

What does renting in Ireland cost in 2026?

The RTB's rent index for the first quarter of 2026 is the latest official figure. A new tenancy cost €1,839 a month on average nationally, up 9.1 per cent in a year; an existing one €1,513, up 4.2 per cent.

AreaNew tenancies, Q1 2026Existing tenancies
Ireland€1,839€1,513
Dublin (county)€2,335€1,960
Dublin City€2,301€1,901
Galway City€2,004€1,445
Limerick City€1,921–
Cork City€1,903€1,422

Source: the RTB and ESRI Rent Index, Q1 2026, read 24 September 2026.

Deposits, leases and how a tenancy can end

For any tenancy created from 9 August 2021 a landlord cannot demand more than two months' rent upfront: a deposit of one month plus one month in advance. No State deposit-protection scheme is in operation; the landlord holds the deposit and must return it promptly and in full unless there are arrears, unpaid bills, damage beyond normal wear and tear or too little notice.

After six months without a valid notice of termination, a tenancy created from 1 March 2026 becomes a tenancy of minimum duration of six years. Your landlord's size matters: a larger landlord, with four or more tenancies or any registered company, can end your tenancy only for breach or because the property is no longer suitable, not to sell, move in or renovate; a smaller landlord may also end it for hardship or to house themselves or immediate family, and after six years to sell or renovate. A room in the landlord's own home is a licence, not a tenancy, and none of this protects you.

Length of tenancyLandlord must giveYou must give
Less than 6 months90 days28 days
6 months to 1 year152 days35 days
1 to 2 years180 days42 days
2 to 4 years180 days56 days
4 to 7 years180 days84 days
7 to 8 years196 days84 days
More than 8 years224 days112 days

Source: Citizens Information, read 24 September 2026.

Rent arrears mean a written warning giving 28 days to pay before a 28-day notice of termination; since 1 March 2026 notices may be emailed. Breaking a fixed-term lease early can cost the deposit and the remaining rent unless there is a break clause or a landlord breach. Landlords register every tenancy with the RTB yearly for €40; its dispute service offers free mediation, adjudication for €30 and a tribunal that can award up to €20,000.

Scams, discrimination and standards: what to check before paying

View the property in person and never pay cash, by wire transfer or in cryptocurrency before verifying the landlord's identity; report a scam to your Garda station and bank. Threshold advises renters free on 1800 454 454, Monday to Friday 9am to 9pm. Under the Equal Status Acts a landlord may not refuse you for your race, religion or family status, or because you receive HAP or any social welfare payment. Every rental needs a Building Energy Rating, and you are entitled to a rent book and a written inventory.

HAP, cost rental and social housing: what a newcomer can apply for

HAP is for people on a council's social housing list who find a private rental themselves: the council pays the landlord monthly and you pay a differential rent based on income. The list requires a long-term legal right to remain (temporary protection holders cannot apply), an application to the one housing authority where you live or have a local connection, and net income below the limit: €40,000 for a single person in Dublin City, Cork City and Galway City, €35,000 in Limerick City and County. A 2026 Act adding residence tests and a formal appeal has, according to Citizens Information, not been commenced.

Council1 adultCoupleCouple or 1 adult with 2 children
Dublin City Council€660€900€1,275
Cork City Council€550€650€925
Galway City Council€575€650€875
Limerick City and County Council€420€450€700

Source: Citizens Information (maximum monthly HAP rent limits), read 24 September 2026.

Cost rental homes are a middle route: rents at least 25 per cent below the market for households with net income below €66,000 in Dublin or €59,000 elsewhere.

Buying a home in Ireland: the rules and the real prices

There are no restrictions on foreigners buying residential property in Ireland. Central Bank rules in force since 1 January 2023 let first-time buyers borrow up to four times gross income and other buyers 3.5 times, with a minimum deposit of 10 per cent (30 per cent for buy-to-let). Someone starting again after divorce, separation or insolvency counts as a first-time buyer.

In the 12 months to July 2026 the median price paid was €399,999 nationally and €500,000 in Dublin, with prices up 5.5 per cent in a year. By city: Dublin City €475,000, Galway City €420,000, Cork City €350,000, Limerick €326,000.

CostWhat applies
Stamp duty1 per cent up to €1 million, 2 per cent on the portion to €1.5 million, 6 per cent above
Help to BuyFirst-time buyers of a new home worth €500,000 or less: a refund of income tax and DIRT paid over the previous 4 years, up to €30,000 or 10 per cent of the value, for purchases to 31 December 2029
Local Property Tax 2026–2030Paid by the owner, not the tenant: €95 a year for a home valued up to €240,000, €235 up to €315,000, €333 up to €420,000, €428 up to €525,000, €523 up to €630,000; councils may vary it by up to 15 per cent

Source: Citizens Information, Revenue, the Central Bank of Ireland and the Central Statistics Office, read 24 September 2026.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Arrange somewhere to stay; view any rental in personBefore you travel
2Ask when the tenancy was created and how many tenancies the landlord holdsBefore you sign
3Pay at most one month's deposit plus one month in advance, never in cashAt signing
4Check the RTB register and claim the Rent Tax Credit through RevenueFirst month
5HAP or social housing: apply to the one council where you liveOnce your right to remain is long-term

Source: Citizens Information and the Residential Tenancies Board, read 24 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 24 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.