On 14 October 2025, the Government approved the General Scheme of the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2025, which is now the subject of priority drafting by the Office of Parliamentary Council and pre legislative scrutiny by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The Bill will amend the current system of rent controls and provide new measures to protect tenants, including stronger security of tenure, to come into effect for new tenancies created on or after 1 March 2026. The impending Bill is informed by a review of the Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) carried out by the Housing Agency, as requested by the Department.
My Department cannot provide legal advice but the current application of the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004 to 2025 (the RTA) will continue in the specific circumstances referred to in the Question.
Chapter 6 (Rules governing operation of Part in cases of multiple occupants) of Part 4 (Security of Tenure) of the RTA applies where a dwelling is subject to a single Part 4 tenancy: revisedacts.lawreform.ie/eli/2004/act/27/revised/en/html#PART4-CHAP6
Part 3 (Rent and Rent Reviews), including section 20 (Frequency with which rent reviews may occur), of the RTA applies in the same manner to any dwelling the subject of a single Part 4 tenancy – i.e. irrespective of whether multiple tenants (and licensee(s)) are in occupation: revisedacts.lawreform.ie/eli/2004/act/27/revised/en/html#PART3
A detailed communications campaign by this Department, in conjunction with the RTB, will continue to publicise the new legislative measures from 1 March 2026.
Up-to-date information is available at: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/publications/government-reforms-to-the-rental-sector-starting-1-march-2026/
The information provided in this reply is based on the policy measures approved by the Government on 10 June 2025 to come into effect on 1 March 2026, in order to boost investment in the supply of homes available for rent and keep existing landlords in the market. The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill will be published as soon as possible and will be subject to debate, and open to amendment, during the legislative process in the Houses of the Oireachtas.
