I asked AI about the interaction between the 8 year RAS tenancy and the 6 year cycle.
It thinks that there are two leases here, one between the landlord and the Council for 8 years and a seperate lease between the landlord and the tenant. That sort of makes sense.
However, the Council can exit after 8 years and the landlord is now left with the tenant for a further 4 years or forever if they are a large landlord. The rent is no longer paid by the Council in those circumstances.
What AI says is below and it sounds correct. The whole thing is another complex mess for the landlord though
The
8-year contracts under the
Enhanced Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) Dublin Pilot function as a commercial agreement between the landlord and the local authority, whereas the
6-year Tenancies of Minimum Duration (TMD) govern the legal relationship and statutory eviction protections between the landlord and the occupying tenant. [
1,
2,
3]
Because statutory rental laws take precedence over commercial contracts, these two timelines interact through specific structural layers. [
1]
Overlapping Statutory Protections
Under the
Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026, any private tenancy created on or after 1 March 2026 automatically grants the tenant a 6-year TMD once they complete an initial 6-month probationary period. [
1,
2]
If a landlord signs an 8-year RAS contract with a Dublin council (such as DCC, SDCC, Fingal, or DLR), the tenant’s first 6-year statutory cycle will expire
two years before the council contract ends. [
1,
2,
3]
Termination Rules During the 8-Year Contract
A landlord cannot use the end of a RAS contract to bypass statutory eviction laws. How a landlord can terminate a tenancy depends heavily on whether they are classified as a "small" or "large" landlord: [
1]
- Large Landlords (4+ tenancies): Corporate entities or landlords with four or more tenancies cannot issue a "no-fault" eviction (e.g., for sale or refurbishment) during the TMD. They can only terminate if the tenant breaches obligations or the property is no longer suitable. [1, 2]
- Small Landlords (1–3 tenancies): Small landlords retain a few narrow exemptions during the 6-year cycle, such as severe financial hardship requiring a sale, or personal/immediate family use. [1, 2]
The 6-Year Expiry Milestone (Year 6)
When the tenant's first 6-year TMD finishes, a small landlord legally regains broader statutory termination grounds, including the intent to sell with vacant possession or to perform substantial renovations. [
1,
2]
However, if a small landlord chooses to execute a no-fault eviction at Year 6, they will
breach their 8-year commercial RAS contract, which guarantees council-backed rental placement and income for the full 8 years. If neither party terminates the tenancy at Year 6, a
second 6-year TMD cycle automatically begins, locking in security of tenure through Year 12. [
1,
2,
3,
4]
The RAS Contract Expiry Milestone (Year 8)
When the 8-year commercial RAS contract expires, the landlord can choose not to renew the council agreement. However, the tenant is already two years into their
second 6-year TMD. [
1,
2]
- Because the tenant is protected by a rolling statutory cycle, the landlord cannot evict them simply because the RAS contract has ended.
- The tenancy transitions from a local authority social housing scheme into a standard private rental arrangement. The landlord must continue to honor the tenant's right to remain until the second 6-year TMD expires (at Year 12), unless a valid, size-appropriate statutory ground for termination arises. [1, 2, 3, 4
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