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Property

Landlord and tenant.

Residential tenancies in Ireland are regulated by the Residential Tenancies Acts and disputes go to the Residential Tenancies Board, not the courts. The rules on notice, rent and deposits are detailed and change often. We act for landlords, including accidental ones, and for tenants.

Talk to us about a tenancy Going to court, explained

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At a glance

An invalid notice of termination is the most common reason a landlord loses at the RTB. The wording and the period both have to be right.

01Where disputes goResidential Tenancies Board

02RegistrationEvery tenancy, and annually

03Notice of terminationWritten, on the statutory form, with the right period

04Who we act forLandlords and tenants

For landlords

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.

Common questions

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 appointment

Before you ring

Two things you can check tonight.

Guide

Going to the District Court

What a hearing looks like and how to prepare, for the cases that do end up there.

Practice area

Buying and selling a home

For landlords selling with a tenant in place, or tenants who want to buy.

Guide

Time limits that catch people out

RTB, WRC and court deadlines in one place.

Client guides

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.

Signing a commercial lease

A commercial lease is often the biggest contract a small business ever signs, and the hardest to get out of. This guide shows you what to check.

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