In our earlier article, "Residential Tenancies Reform 2026: Structural Change and the Supply Question", we considered the reforms which took effect on 1 March 2026, including the introduction of six-year Tenancies of Minimum Duration, nationwide rent regulation and the distinction between different categories of landlord for termination purposes.
A further package of residential tenancy reforms has now come into operation. With effect from 14 September 2026, provisions of the Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 (the New Act) introduce additional compliance, enforcement and procedural changes under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004. For landlords, investors, property managers and agents, the principal practical changes concern rent-setting information, service of notices, RTB enforcement and the conduct of RTB disputes.
Rent-setting information
For tenancies to which the new requirement applies and which commence on or after 14 September 2026, a landlord must provide the prescribed rent-setting information to the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) within one month of the commencement of the tenancy. The information must continue to be given to the tenant at the commencement of the tenancy.
The information includes details relevant to the previous rent and the basis on which the new rent has been calculated under the national rent regulation framework. This is an important operational point for landlords with larger portfolios: the rent-setting process should now be treated as a formal compliance step at the outset of each new tenancy, rather than simply as part of the tenancy registration process.
Service of termination and rent review notices
A landlord now has seven calendar days after serving a notice of termination or notice of rent review on the tenant to serve a copy on the RTB. Previously, the copy generally had to be served on the RTB on the same day as the notice was served on the tenant.
The change provides some administrative flexibility, but it does not reduce the importance of valid service on the tenant or of accurately recording the date on which service takes effect.
The RTB is also strongly advising landlords not to serve notices of termination by post. This follows the High Court decision in Argutinski v Residential Tenancies Board [2026] IEHC 225, which confirmed that service by post is deemed to occur when the notice would be delivered in the ordinary course of post, rather than necessarily on the date on which it is posted. The practical risk is that the date of service stated in a notice may not correspond with the date on which service is legally effected. The RTB recommends service by email where that method is validly available, or by hand delivery.
Fixed payment notices and enhanced enforcement
The RTB may now issue fixed payment notices for six specified categories of breach. These include failure to register a tenancy, failure to update tenancy details, failure to provide required rent-setting information, setting rent above the permitted limit, failure to notify the RTB of a rent exemption, and failure to comply with the requirements for a rent review notice.
Depending on the breach, the fixed payment is €100 or €200. The fixed payment notice regime sits alongside the RTB’s existing investigation, civil sanction and prosecution powers. The RTB has indicated that its initial fixed-payment enforcement activity will focus on compliance with rent-setting and registration requirements.
The practical effect is that certain administrative and procedural defaults can now expose landlords to a more immediate enforcement response. Portfolio landlords and managing agents should therefore ensure that responsibility for registrations, rent notices and RTB notifications is clearly allocated and auditable.
Public RTB adjudication hearings
A significant procedural change applies to RTB dispute applications made on or after 14 September 2026. Adjudication hearings will generally be held in public, bringing them into line with RTB tribunal hearings. The RTB will publish a weekly hearing schedule, members of the public may request to attend and the RTB will publish adjudication reports containing details of the dispute, the evidence and the outcome.
The RTB may direct that all or part of a hearing be held otherwise than in public in limited circumstances. Mediation remains private. Parties involved in an adjudication should nevertheless proceed on the basis that their evidence, submissions and the resulting decision may enter the public domain. This may be particularly relevant for institutional landlords and professional operators where a dispute raises wider portfolio, reputational or precedent considerations.
Changes to dispute timelines
The New Act also changes certain time periods in the RTB dispute process. The RTB may now give parties 10 working days’ notice of a tribunal hearing, replacing the previous 21-calendar-day period. The period for appealing the outcome of a mediation to a tribunal is now 10 working days rather than 10 calendar days, aligning it with the existing appeal period for adjudication decisions.
The shorter tribunal hearing notice period may materially reduce the time available to prepare evidence and submissions once a hearing date is notified. Internal escalation procedures should therefore ensure that RTB correspondence is identified and acted on promptly.
Other commenced changes
Other provisions which came into operation on 14 September 2026 include an increase in the maximum notice period applicable where a landlord terminates a tenancy within its first six months, from 90 to 120 days, an expanded ability for the RTB to address certain non-prejudicial defects in notices of termination under the statutory “slip rule”, and a new obligation on head tenants to notify sub-tenants on receipt of a notice of termination. The reforms also make a number of further procedural and evidential changes to RTB proceedings.
Practical steps
Landlords, investors, property managers and agents should now consider the following:
- update tenancy commencement procedures so that prescribed rent-setting information is provided to the RTB within the applicable one-month period;
- revise notice checklists to reflect the seven-day period for furnishing copies of termination and rent review notices to the RTB;
- reconsider service of notices of termination by post and retain clear evidence of the date of service;
- ensure registration, rent-setting and rent-review compliance can be evidenced across the portfolio;
- prepare RTB disputes on the basis that adjudication hearings and reports may be public;
- update dispute-management procedures to reflect the revised appeal and tribunal hearing timelines; and
- where sub-letting arrangements are in place, ensure head tenants are aware of the new obligation to notify sub-tenants on receipt of a notice of termination.
Conclusion
The March 2026 reforms altered the structure of the private rental regime. The changes now in force add a more detailed compliance and enforcement layer to that framework. For professional landlords in particular, the direction of travel is clear: greater transparency, more active RTB enforcement and less tolerance for procedural error.
The practical response is therefore not simply to understand the substantive rent and termination rules, but to ensure that internal systems for notices, registrations, evidence and RTB deadlines are sufficiently robust to operate consistently across a portfolio.
Beauchamps’ Housing and Commercial Real Estate team continues to advise developers, investors, lenders and housing providers on the practical and commercial implications of Ireland’s residential tenancy regime. For more information, please contact Conor McEvoy or your usual contact in Beauchamps. With many thanks to Andrew Devery for his contribution.
