Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026: Second Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-12
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PJ Murphy (FG), Agricultural Panel

I thank the Minister for his detailed explanation of the Bill. What the Government is doing in this Bill is striking a balance between improving security of tenure for tenants and encouraging more private investment into the rental market. I will look at some of the facts about this Bill. I know there is a lot of concern out there, particularly among smaller landlords and accidental landlords right across Ireland, about the effects this might have on the control they have over their rental property and on their property rights. For people in existing tenancies, rents will not rise because existing tenancies are unaffected. The new rules apply to new tenancies after 1 March only. For students, the new controls are tailored for the fact that their tenancies generally change every year. The rent increase restriction will apply to all student-specific accommodation, SSA, during the first three years of operation of the new national tenancy control. It is not proposed to allow student accommodation landlords to reset rents upon the commencement of each student licence. Student accommodation landlords can reset rents only to market value after three years and after every three-year period that follows while it continues to operate as SSA.
For new tenancies from 1 March 2026, all landlords will be able to set rent at market rates if the previous rent was below the market level and the previous tenant left voluntarily or breached their tenant obligations. Thereafter, rent increases will be capped at the rate of inflation according to the CPI or 2%, whichever is lower. For tenancies existing on or before 28 March 2026, rent increases will be capped at a rate of inflation according to the CPI or 2%, whichever is lower.
On the protection of tenants, new tenancies created from 1 March 2026 will be subject to tenancies of minimum duration. These will be rolling six-year tenancies, offering tenants greater stability. That was a major concern for a lot of tenant representative bodies. During the six-year period, landlords will only be able to end tenancies in specific situations such as the tenant not meeting their obligation or the property no longer suiting the tenant’s needs.
The rules apply somewhat differently in the case of smaller landlords, and rightly so. Smaller landlords, with three or fewer tenancies, are generally in the business accidentally or for different reasons. Landlords with three or fewer tenancies will be able to terminate tenancies at any time in the following cases: for financial hardship requiring sale of the property, as the Minister outlined, or if the landlord or a close family member, as defined by the Minister, needs to live in the property. A smaller landlord can also terminate the contract at the end of each six-year term. Smaller landlords may end a tenancy using existing legal grounds including selling the property, occupation by the landlord or a family member, major renovations or changing the use of the property. However, larger landlords, with four tenancies or more, will not be allowed to end a tenancy for sale, renovation, occupation or change of use. They may still end a tenancy for tenants not meeting their obligations or if the property is no longer suitable for the tenant’s needs. That addresses a lot of the concerns that many landlords had about this Bill.
The measures being proposed in this Bill are fair and provide absolute clarity and long-term stability for both landlords and tenants. I commend it to the House.

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Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:37+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-12