Rental-market changes signed into law
The President has signed into law a bill that introduces changes to the rental market that will take effect from 1 March.
The Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 includes measures aimed at attracting new investment to increase the supply of rental properties.
It also introduces a national system of rent controls that will apply to new tenancies.
Welcoming the enactment, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage James Browne said that the legislation would provide greater certainty and stability for tenants and encourage an increase in the number of rental homes available.
Cap of 2%
Under the act, changes in rents will be linked to inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI), rather than the current linkage to the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP).
There will be a cap of 2% a year to protect tenants in times of high inflation. The cap will not apply, however, to rents in new apartments – a move that the Government has said is aimed at boosting investment in the construction of new apartments.
For existing tenancies (in place on 28 February), rent increases will be capped at the rate of inflation according to CPI or 2%, whichever is lower.