Your landlord can only raise your rent once a year. And since 1 March 2026, that one increase is capped by a single national rule that applies everywhere in Ireland: the lower of CPI or 2%, per year. If you have just opened a rent review notice and are wondering whether the number on it is legal, you are in the right place. Here is how the new system works, and exactly how to check the notice you were handed.
What happened to rent pressure zones?
If you have rented in Dublin, Cork or Galway over the past decade, you knew the term. RPZ. Rent Pressure Zone. A designated area where annual increases were capped at the lower of inflation or 2%, while most of the country sat outside the rules altogether.
That system is finished. RPZs were abolished on 28 February 2026 under the Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026, and from 1 March a national framework replaced them. The detail that matters: the cap no longer depends on where you live. It applies to every private tenancy in Ireland, from a studio off O’Connell Street to a house in a town that never saw an RPZ designation. By the end the zones covered everywhere anyway, after a temporary nationwide extension in mid-2025. For most tenants, the real change on 1 March was not a cap arriving out of nowhere; it was a patchwork of rules becoming one simpler, permanent system.
The new national cap: the lower of CPI or 2%
Here is the formula, in plain terms. Each year, your rent can rise by the lower of two figures:
- the rate of general inflation (CPI), or
- 2%.
Whichever is smaller is your ceiling. Inflation running at 1.5%? Then 1.5% is the maximum increase. Inflation at 3% or higher? The cap is 2%. The 2% figure is not a floor and it is not a target. It is a lid.
A worked example, since this is where most notices go wrong. Say you pay €2,000 a month. CPI was 3.4% in mid-2026, so the 2% cap binds. Your maximum lawful rent is €2,000 x 1.02, which comes to €2,040. That is an increase of €40 a month, or €480 across the year. Anything above that is outside the rules.
Two more things to understand about that calculation. First, “per year” means once per 12-month period. Your landlord cannot bank an unused increase, let alone two of them, and apply both in a single go. Second, the index matters: the new law uses CPI rather than the HICP figure the old RPZ system leaned on. If you are checking figures online, make sure you are comparing like with like.
One caveat: CPI moves. The example above uses the reading available at the time of writing, so re-check the current figure before doing the maths; a lower inflation number pulls the cap down with it.
When can the rent actually be reviewed?
The cap controls how much. A separate set of rules controls when.
During a tenancy, a rent review can only happen once the rent has been unchanged for at least 12 months. A mid-tenancy “market rent” increase is not a thing anymore. Your landlord cannot look at what the place next door now commands and decide your rent should match it while you are still living there. The only lawful mid-tenancy increase is the annual capped one.
The exceptions sit at the edges of a tenancy. When a new tenancy begins, the rent can be set at the going market rate, because that is a fresh agreement rather than a review of yours. And for tenancies created from 1 March 2026, the landlord can re-set to market rent once every six years.
If your tenancy started before 1 March 2026, the picture is more protective. The annual cap applies for as long as that original tenancy continues, and your landlord cannot re-set to market rent just because time has passed. There are also transitional rules for areas that were only recently brought under RPZ rules, which can push the next review further out than 12 months. If you are unsure which camp you fall into, the RTB’s own guidance is the place to check.
New apartments: the CPI-only rule
One genuine exception to the 2% ceiling. Qualifying new-build apartments, where construction commenced after 10 June 2025, follow CPI only. In a year when inflation runs above 2%, those rents can rise above the cap that binds everyone else.
The logic is deliberate: a hard 2% lid on brand-new stock was seen as a deterrent to building. If you live in a recently completed apartment block, check whether it qualifies; it is the one scenario where a larger notice can be legal in a high-inflation year.
The 90-day notice and the same-day RTB copy
This is the most practical paragraph in this entire guide, so read it twice.
Your landlord must serve a written notice at least 90 days before the new rent takes effect, and must send a copy to the RTB on the same day it is served on you. If the copy does not reach the RTB that day, the notice is invalid. Not “probably invalid”. Invalid.
The notice itself has to state the new rent amount and the date it starts. It cannot be backdated, and it cannot be slipped in with a casual email unless you have previously agreed in writing to electronic communication.
Here is why the same-day rule matters in practice. It is the single most common way landlords get this wrong, because the RTB copy is easy to forget and the consequence is severe. Miss the deadline and the increase never lawfully took effect. That is not a technicality you should let slide; it is the difference between a legal review and an unenforceable one.
Can the landlord set a new market rent when the tenancy turns over?
The cap follows the tenancy, not the property. When one tenant moves out and a new agreement is signed, the landlord can set the rent at the current market rate for the area. That is how you can see a two-bed flat let for €1,900, then listed at €2,300 a few weeks later. Frustrating, but lawful.
There is a protection worth knowing, though. If your tenancy ended through a no-fault termination, meaning the landlord ended it to sell or renovate rather than because of anything you did, the next tenancy cannot simply be set at a fresh market rent. The rules close that loophole deliberately, so the eviction cannot be used to reset the price on the same property.
What you can do about it happens before you sign, not after. The RTB Rent Register has been public since 1 March 2026 and is updated daily. It shows registered rents for properties across the country, which means you can benchmark the offer in front of you against what similar places in the area actually rent for. If the proposed figure sits well above comparable registered rents, that is leverage to negotiate, and a warning sign worth heeding.
How to check if a rent increase is legal (step by step)
When a notice lands, work through these five checks. If every one passes, the increase is almost certainly lawful. If any one fails, the notice has a problem.
- Check the timing. Has the rent been unchanged for at least 12 months? If not, the review is too early.
- Do the maths. Is the proposed rent no more than the current rent multiplied by the lower of CPI or 2%? For new-build apartments, apply CPI only.
- Count the days. Was the notice served at least 90 days before the effective date? Less than that and it is invalid regardless of the amount.
- Check the RTB copy. Ask, or verify through the RTB, that a copy was submitted the same day the notice was served. No same-day copy, no valid increase.
- Benchmark against the register. Pull your tenancy’s registered rent and compare it with three comparable rents in the area. If your proposed rent sails past what comparable properties are registered at, that is a red flag worth pursuing.
The register does the heavy lifting here. Before it went public, tenants had little way to check whether a proposed figure was grounded in reality. Now the data is a search away.
What to do if your landlord overcharges
First, do not stop paying rent on the spot. However strong your case, refusing to pay without advice can put your tenancy at risk and weaken your position at the RTB. Get advice before withholding anything.
The proper route is an RTB dispute. You can challenge an increase you believe is invalid, and if the RTB finds against the landlord, the overcharge gets corrected. Time limits apply, so do not sit on the notice while you decide; the RTB and Citizens Information both explain the current process and deadlines.
Keep every document: the notice, the envelope or email it arrived in, proof of what you paid before and after, and any correspondence with the landlord. In a dispute, that paper trail is your case.
What the cap means for landlords
If you are a landlord reading this, the compliance bar got higher. The annual review, the 90-day notice and the same-day RTB copy are not suggestions; an invalid notice means no increase and a dispute you will likely lose. The routine that keeps you safe: review only after 12 months, calculate the cap from current CPI, serve notice with 90 days to run, copy the RTB the same day, and update your tenancy registration with the new rent within a month. Five minutes of admin that saves a very expensive dispute later.
Frequently asked questions
Are rent pressure zones gone?
Yes. RPZ designations were abolished on 28 February 2026 and replaced by a national rent control system from 1 March 2026.
Can my rent go up more than 2%?
During a tenancy, no, with one exception: qualifying new-build apartments (construction started after 10 June 2025) can rise by CPI even when that exceeds 2%. Between tenancies, a new agreement can be set at market rent.
What is the rent cap in Ireland in 2026?
The lower of CPI or 2% per year, applying to every private tenancy nationwide since 1 March 2026.
Does the 2% cap apply to new tenancies?
The cap limits increases during a tenancy. A brand-new tenancy can be set at the current market rent, which may be well above what the previous tenant paid. New tenancies in qualifying new-build apartments also carry the CPI-only rule.
How much notice must a landlord give for a rent review?
At least 90 days before the new rent takes effect, in writing, with a copy sent to the RTB the same day the notice is served on you.
What if my landlord did not send the notice to the RTB?
The notice is invalid and the increase never lawfully took effect. If you are in this situation, raise it with your landlord and, if needed, bring a dispute to the RTB.
Bottom line
Since 1 March 2026, Irish rents can only rise by the lower of CPI or 2% a year, once every 12 months, on 90 days’ notice, with a same-day copy to the RTB. Most unlawful increases fail on one of those requirements, and now you can check all of them yourself using the public Rent Register. Read the notice in your hand against that list before you accept the number on it.
Want a faster way? Grab the free one-page checklist, “Is my rent increase legal?”, with five yes/no questions that take you from notice to verdict in under two minutes. It also covers what to do next if the answer is no. And if you are hunting for a place rather than fighting a review, our guide to actually landing a rental in this market is the one to read next.
Not sure your notice is valid? Use the RTB Rent Register to check comparable rents, and read the RTB’s own guidance on the rules.
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