The law on residential tenancies requires private landlords and approved housing bodies (housing associations) to follow certain procedures before asking a tenant to leave rented accommodation. They must also give the tenant a minimum amount of notice, depending on how long the tenancy has lasted.
The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 set out the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants and introduced detailed rules governing residential tenancies. It introduced the concept of Part 4 rights, to provide security of tenure to tenants who are in a tenancy for between 6 months and 4 years. It also detailed the required notice periods and the form that a notice of termination must take.
The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 amended the 2004 Act. It increased the required notice periods for terminating tenancies of 5 years or over – see ‘Notice periods’ below - and brought housing association tenancies under the remit of the Private Residential Tenancies Board, which is now the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB).
The 2015 Act also requires landlords to provide extra documentation when terminating a tenancy in certain situations - see ‘Notice of termination’ below.
The Law Reform Commission has produced a consolidated version of the 2004 Act as of 9 May 2016, incorporating all amendments in effect on that date.
The Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 contains several amendments to the residential tenancies legislation. Some of the changes took effect from 24 December 2016, some took effect from 17 January 2017, and some others will require Commencement Orders. The changes include:
Read more about these and other measures on rtb.ie.
A private residential tenancy means a tenancy that is agreed privately between a landlord and a tenant. If you are getting Rent Supplement, you are probably renting from a private landlord, so you would be covered by the residential tenancies legislation. It also covers tenancies under the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) and the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). Since 7 April 2016, the legislation also covers housing association tenancies.
If you are renting from a local authority, you are not covered by this legislation. See Repossession of rented social housing for information on procedures that local authorities must follow if asking their tenants to leave.
If you are renting a room that is part of your landlord's home, your tenancy is not covered by this legislation. However, if you are renting a self-contained flat or apartment in your landlord’s home, your tenancy is covered. See our document on sharing accommodation with your landlord for more information.
How easily your landlord can end your tenancy depends on the type of tenancy you have and how long you have been in the accommodation. Your landlord must always give you valid written notice when asking you to leave - see 'Notice of termination' and 'Notice periods' below.
If you have a fixed-term tenancy, the landlord cannot normally end the tenancy unless you are in breach of your obligations – read more on the RTB's website.
After the first 6 months you acquire rights to security of tenure, even if you have a fixed-term tenancy (of 1 year, for example). The provisions on security of tenure are in Part 4 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 and the rights that they give are generally known as Part 4 rights.
Exceptions
If you are renting a self-contained flat or apartment in your landlord’s home, which was originally part of the main house, your landlord can choose to opt out of the Part 4 provisions under Section 25 of the Act. You must get notice in writing, before the start of the tenancy, if the landlord wishes to take this option.
Tenants of certain dwellings let by housing associations (transitional dwellings) cannot gain the benefit of Part 4 rights.
When you can be asked to leaveTenancies that are governed by Part 4 of the 2004 Act and that started on or before 24 December 2016 run in 4-year cycles. Tenancies that started after 24 December 2016 run in 6-year cycles.
During the first 6 months of a tenancy, the landlord can ask you to leave without giving a reason (unless you have a fixed-term tenancy) but must serve a valid written notice of termination, allowing a minimum 28-day notice period. Only 7 days’ notice is required in the first 6 months if your behaviour is seriously anti-social or threatens the fabric of the property.
Your tenancy is known as a Part 4 tenancy in the following situations:
After the first cycle (4 or 6 years) of your Part 4 tenancy has ended, you enter a new cycle – see ‘Further Part 4 tenancies’ below.
Restriction on terminating when selling multiple propertiesSection 40 of the 2016 Act provides that a landlord cannot terminate a Part 4 tenancy if he intends to sell 10 or more dwellings in a development within a 6-month period, unless he can show that the market value with a sitting tenant is over 20% below the market value with vacant possession, and that preventing him from terminating the tenancy would be unduly onerous on him or would cause him undue hardship. This provision is often called the ‘Tyrrelstown’ amendment.
Valid reasons for ending a Part 4 tenancyThe landlord can end a Part 4 tenancy only in the following circumstances:
or for the following 3 specific reasons:
See 'Notice of termination' below for more details.
If your tenancy started on or before 24 December 2016: When the 4-year cycle of the tenancy has ended, a new tenancy starts, known as a further Part 4 tenancy. This tenancy will now last 6 years.
If your tenancy started after 24 December 2016: The further Part 4 tenancy will start when the first 6-year cycle of the original Part 4 tenancy has ended and it will last 6 years.
Ending a further Part 4 tenancyThe legislation originally provided that your landlord could end a further Part 4 tenancy at any time during the first 6 months without having to give a reason. This rule has been changed with effect from 17 January 2017 and the landlord must provide one of the valid reasons listed above.
Preventing a further Part 4 tenancyIf a landlord wishes to stop a further Part 4 tenancy coming into existence, they may serve a notice during the original Part 4 tenancy, with the notice period expiring on or after the end of the tenancy. A notice served in this way should provide a reason for termination, but the reason does not need to be one of the above grounds.
If your landlord wants you to leave, they must serve you with a valid written notice of termination. The notice can be posted to you, be given to you in person or be left for you at your address. Neither email nor text messages qualify as valid notices of termination. If it appears that you are not living in the property, the landlord can affix the notice to the outside of the property.
Section 62 of the 2004 Act sets down the requirements for a valid notice of termination. A notice of termination must:
In addition, the landlord must provide additional details in certain situations and, in some cases, a statutory declaration. The RTB provides sample notices of termination, giving the details required in each situation.
If the landlord intends to sell the property within 3 months of the termination of your tenancy, the notice of termination must state that “The reason for the termination of the tenancy is due to the fact that the landlord intends to sell the dwelling, for full consideration, within 3 months after the termination of the tenancy”. The notice must also include a statutory declaration stating the landlord’s intention to sell.
If the landlord is availing of the exception to the ‘Tyrrelstown’ amendment (see above) in order to terminate the Part 4 tenancy, the statutory declaration must also state that that the market value with a sitting tenant is over 20% below the market value with vacant possession, and that preventing him from terminating the tenancy would be unduly onerous on him or would cause him undue hardship.
The RTB’s sample notice of termination due to intention to sell (pdf) contains the required information and a sample statutory declaration.
There are particular rules if the landlord gives one of the following 3 reasons in the notice of termination:
The detailed rules are outlined below. In addition, if any of these 3 reasons is cited, you must also be told that if the dwelling becomes available for letting within a certain period and you have given the landlord your contact details, they must offer you a tenancy. (This requirement does not apply if your tenancy is being ended due to a breach of your obligations, overcrowding or the property being sold.)
Detailed rules
If the landlord needs the property for their own use or for an immediate family member, you must be given the following information in writing, along with the notice of termination: the person’s name; their relationship to the landlord; and how long they will occupy the dwelling. The notice must also include a statutory declaration stating that the landlord needs the property for their own use or for an immediate family member. The RTB’s sample notice of termination when the landlord needs the property (pdf) contains the required information and a sample statutory declaration.
If the landlord intends to refurbish the property to the extent that it needs to be vacant, they must state the nature of the works in writing, along with the notice of termination. If planning permission is required, the notice must be accompanied by a copy of the permission. If planning permission is not required, the notice must state this and must provide the name of the contractor (if any); the dates of the intended works; and their proposed duration – see the RTB’s sample notice of termination due to intention to refurbish (pdf).
If the landlord intends to change the use of the property (and has obtained any necessary planning permission) they must state the nature of the change in writing, along with the notice of termination. The notice must confirm that any necessary planning permission has been received. The RTB’s sample notice of termination due to change of use (pdf) contains the required information.
Under section 56 of the 2004 Act, you can complain to the RTB in the following situations:
If the RTB upholds your complaint, it may direct the landlord to pay you damages or to reinstate your tenancy, or both.
The RTB’s sample notices cover several other situations, for instance if the landlord is terminating your tenancy due to rent arrears. In this case you must have received a written warning notice at least 14 days before the notice of termination is issued – see ‘Notice periods’ below. The RTB’s sample (pdf) contains both of these notices.
Sample notices of termination are also available for breach of tenant obligations (pdf) and anti-social behaviour (pdf). There is also a sample notice for when the dwelling is no longer suited to your household’s needs (pdf). In this case, the notice must be accompanied by a signed and dated statement of the number of bed spaces in the property and the reasons why it is no longer suitable, having regard to the bed spaces and the size and composition of your household.
Section 30 of the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 deals with slips or omissions that are contained in the notice or that occurred during its service. This section provides that, when dealing with a dispute in respect of a notice of termination, an adjudicator (or the Tenancy Tribunal) may make a determination that such a slip or omission shall not of itself render the notice of termination invalid, if the adjudicator or Tribunal is satisfied that:
Read more on the websites of the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) and Threshold.
The length of notice required depends on the length of your tenancy. The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 increased the notice periods for tenancies of 5 years or longer in duration, with effect from 4 December 2015.
| Length of tenancy | Notice that the landlord must give |
| Less than 6 months | 4 weeks (28 days) |
| 6 months or longer but less than 1 year | 5 weeks (35 days) |
| 1 year or longer but less than 2 years | 6 weeks (42 days) |
| 2 years or longer but less than 3 years | 8 weeks (56 days) |
| 3 years or longer but less than 4 years | 12 weeks (84 days) |
| 4 years or longer but less than 5 years | 16 weeks (112 days) |
| 5 years or longer but less than 6 years | 20 weeks (140 days) |
| 6 years or longer but less than 7 years | 24 weeks (168 days) |
| 7 years or longer but less than 8 years | 28 weeks (196 days) |
| 8 years or longer | 32 weeks (224 days) |
Exceptions to required notice periods
If you are not keeping your obligations, your landlord only needs to give you 28 days’ notice, regardless of the length of your tenancy. However, if your behaviour is seriously anti-social or threatens the fabric of the property, the landlord only needs to give you 7 days’ notice. Section 17 (1) (a) and (b) of the 2004 Act sets out the type of seriously anti-social behaviour for which a 7-day notice may be allowed.
If your rent is in arrears, your landlord must first give you written notification of the amount owing and must give you 14 days to pay the arrears. If you still have not paid 14 days after you got this notification, your landlord can then give you 28 days’ notice of termination.
Landlords and tenants can agree shorter notice periods than the minimum periods set out above, but they can only do so at the time they decide to terminate the tenancy. It is illegal to agree a shorter notice period at the start of the tenancy.
Landlords and tenants can also agree longer notice periods, but the maximum is 70 days when the tenancy has lasted less than 6 months.
If your landlord locks you out or physically evicts you, you may be able to apply for an injunction to force them to let you back into the property or you may apply to the RTB to do so on your behalf. Similarly if your landlord cuts off water, gas or electricity, you may be able to take legal action to restore the supply. In either case, you should get legal advice and assistance before you proceed. Your landlord cannot remove your possessions from your home while your tenancy is still in existence (though after a tenancy has ended, a landlord is under no legal obligation to store or maintain belongings).
If your landlord is going to refer a dispute to the RTB, you should get advice about your situation from Threshold or a solicitor. The Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC) operates a network of legal advice clinics throughout the State. These clinics are confidential, free of charge and open to all. Contact your nearest Citizens Information Centre for information on FLAC services in your area. FLAC also runs an information and referral line during office hours for basic legal information.
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