Getting a tenancy right from the start.
Most RTB disputes trace back to something missed in the first month.
Register the tenancy
With the RTB within a month of it starting, and each year after. An unregistered landlord cannot bring a dispute to the RTB.
A written lease
A letting agreement setting out the rent, the term, the deposit and the obligations. The statutory terms apply anyway, but a clear document avoids most arguments.
Rent setting and reviews
In a Rent Pressure Zone increases are capped. Outside one, rent cannot exceed market rent and can only be reviewed at set intervals with 90 days' notice.
Ending a tenancy
A notice of termination must give a valid reason after six months, use the prescribed wording, be signed and give the right notice period, which increases with the length of the tenancy.
Sale or family use
If the reason is sale, or a family member moving in, a statutory declaration is needed and there are obligations to offer the property back if the plan changes.
Deposits and disputes
The deposit is the tenant's money. Deductions have to be justified. If it goes wrong, either side can bring the matter to RTB adjudication and then a tribunal.
The things people ring us about first.
My tenant has stopped paying
Serve a 28 day warning notice first, then a notice of termination if it is not paid. Skipping the warning notice invalidates everything after it.
My landlord wants me out
Check the notice. Wrong period, wrong form, wrong reason or no statutory declaration can make it invalid. You can dispute it at the RTB within the notice period.
Can I get my deposit back
Yes, less any justified deductions for rent arrears or damage beyond normal wear and tear. If it is withheld unfairly the RTB can order it returned.
How long is the notice period
It depends on how long the tenancy has run. From 90 days for under six months up to 224 days for over eight years, for a landlord. Tenant notice periods are shorter.
What is a Part 4 tenancy
After six months a tenant acquires security of tenure and can only be asked to leave on specific grounds. It renews in six year cycles.
Bring this to a first meeting
The lease, the RTB registration, any notices served or received, the rent record and photos of the property at the start. Rough is fine.
Make an appointmentTwo things you can check tonight.
Going to the District Court
What a hearing looks like and how to prepare, for the cases that do end up there.
Buying and selling a home
For landlords selling with a tenant in place, or tenants who want to buy.
Time limits that catch people out
RTB, WRC and court deadlines in one place.
Your guide, with your own figures.
Read the steps, try the calculator, then create a printable guide with your details to bring to your first appointment.