Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 July 2025
480. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if, under the March 2026 legislation, a tenancy in shared rental accommodation can be considered to have ended for all tenants if one tenant leaves; if the rent can then be reset to market rates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35886/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraSection 139(7) of the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2025 (the RTA) provides that a landlord may, at any time, notify the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) in writing of any changes in respect of particulars entered in its register of tenancies, and of any additional particulars to be entered in that register in respect of a tenancy. Such a change in particulars could include changes to tenant information.
Section 139(1) of the RTA requires a landlord to furnish the RTB, by a notice in writing in the prescribed form, with the following information -
(a) the amount of rent as it stands altered and the date from which that alteration took effect, and
(b) so far as any of other matter in respect of which particulars were entered in the register in respect of the tenancy have changed in any material respect since, as appropriate -
(i) the tenancy was registered in the register, or
(ii) information in respect of them was last previously furnished to the RTB.
Such a material change in particulars could include changes to tenant information and the prescribed form is contained in Part 3 to the Schedule to the RTA - www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2022/si/152/made/en/print.
Section 143 of the RTA provides that a person who, in purported compliance with section 134 (Obligation to apply to register tenancy) or section 139 (Updating of particulars entered in the register), furnishes information to the RTB which is false or misleading in a material respect knowing it to be so false or misleading or being reckless as to whether it is so false or misleading is guilty of an offence.
Section 144A of the RTA provides for the enforcement of the requirement under section 139(1) to update particulars of a tenancy. Alternatively, the commission by a landlord of a contravention of section 139(1) may be sanctioned as improper conduct by the RTB under Part 7A of the RTA.
The operation of the aforementioned provisions will be examined with a view to providing any necessary amendment during the development of legislation to introduce the policy changes to rent regulation and security of tenure on 1 March 2026.
