What are the New Rental Laws in Ireland?

New tenancy rules called the Tenancies of Minimum Duration (TMDs) are set to take effect in Ireland on March 1st, 2026. The new tenancy law has been a hot topic for some time, with landlords questioning how it will affect future tenancies, and current tenants querying their immediate housing situation.

Here, we look at the essential aspects of the TMDs and how the new rental laws in Ireland will impact landlords.

The Tenancies of Minimum Duration

To begin, it’s important to note that the incoming landlord/tenant law in Ireland only applies to the following:

• Private rented housing

• Tenancies supported by the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) or Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS)

• Student-specific accommodation

• Approved Housing Body (AHB) housing

• Cost rental housing

However, both AHB and cost rental housing are exempt from rent increase rules.

Key Points of New Tenancy Rules

If you’re a landlord, any new tenancies created from March 1st, 2026, will be subject to Tenancies of Minimum Duration (TMD). These are rolling 6-year tenancies that give tenants greater stability in regard to their living situation.

The new landlord and tenant law in Ireland stipulates that, during the 6-year period, landlords can only end the tenancy in certain situations, such as:

• The tenant fails to meet their obligations.

• The property no longer meets the tenant’s needs.

Smaller landlords, those with three or fewer tenancies, can end the tenancy at any time if one of the following situations arises:

• They suffer a financial hardship which requires selling the property.

• The landlord or a close family member needs to live in the property.

End of New Tenancy Law Term

At the end of each 6-year term, smaller landlords can end the tenancy by using one of the following existing legal grounds:

• The selling of the property.

• Occupation of the property by the landlord or family.

• The property must undergo major renovations.

• The need for property management, such as changing its use.

However, larger landlords, those with four or more tenancies, cannot end tenancies for the purposes of sale, renovation, occupation or change of use. And yet, as with ending the tenancy during the 6-year period, larger landlords can end tenancies when:

• Tenants fail to meet their obligations.

• The property is no longer suitable for the tenant’s needs.

Rent Setting Rules

If you have a new tenant moving in on or after March 1st, 2026, you can set the rent at market rate level if the previous rent was below the market level, and the previous tenant left voluntarily or breached their obligations.

From that point onward, rent increases are capped at the rate of inflation according to CPI or 2%, whichever is lower. For existing tenancies, those in place on February 28th, 2026, rent increases will be capped at the rate of inflation according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or 2%, whichever is lower.

Landlords can, however, reset the rent under certain circumstances, including when:

• The tenant voluntarily leaves the tenancy.

• The tenant breaks their obligations.

• The property no longer aligns with the tenant’s needs, e.g., it’s become too small.

• The 6-year tenancy of minimum duration ends.

It’s also important to mention that landlords cannot reset the rent after a “no fault eviction”. This is a situation where a tenant is evicted, even though they did nothing wrong. This tenant protection is in place to ensure landlords don’t evict tenants just so they can raise the rent.

These new tenancy rules apply nationwide, and it will no longer depend on whether your rented property is in a Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ) or not.

On a final note, the 2% cap on annual rent increases doesn’t apply in the case of newly built apartments or student-specific accommodation.

Got a Question?

If you’re a landlord looking for further information or advice on the new tenancy law in Ireland, feel free to contact a qualified and knowledgeable member of the Long and Co. team today.