RTB Rent Register

[Bronte]

This case is a clear warning to landlords of where the 'resetting to market rent' is going.

The landlord in this case lost out by the princely sum of 70 Euro a month. 840 a year. For most landlords that are fully taxed the loss would be around 400. Let's get real. You can be sure as night follows day GT went to market rent the following year.

So no I don't agree with you. We are big boys and girls, we can learn from this and win from it.

 

[Greenbook]

The landlord in this case lost out by the princely sum of 70 Euro a month. 840 a year.

Agreed, it is tiny.

But wait until a landlord rents out an apartment for €2,600 per month when the Rent Register shows 2 beds in the area going for €1,600 - now that's a cost to the landlord, plus possible criminal liability as well.

The poster chose that decision not because of the money involved but to show the trajectory in this area of the PRS - clear evidence of the appropriate rent being ignored by the Tribunal because it is contrary to the result it wants to achieve and further deductions being allowed for vague issues like wear and tear.

 

[Greenbook]

You can be sure as night follows day GT went to market rent the following year.

But that is the point though, the RTB knocks back your market rent to €1,600 or whatever. Then your tenant leaves and your relet. You can't shoot back up to €2,600 or whatever your original rent was. The RTB has now set the 'market' rent for your property, your next tenant will pay €1,600 and some indexed increase or possibly a 2 percent increase.

You're playing against someone with a very loaded dice!

 

[Bronte]

But that is the point though, the RTB knocks back your market rent to €1,600 or whatever. Then your tenant leaves and your relet. You can't shoot back up to €2,600 or whatever your original rent was. The RTB has now set the 'market' rent for your property, your next tenant will pay €1,600 and some indexed increase or possibly a 2 percent increase.

You're playing against someone with a very loaded dice!

You're scaremongering. I've talking to experts and I'm back at market rent. You're also exaggerating with a comparision of a 1K loss there. I've put up the actual figures in an actual case that your or another highlighted. The figures don't lie. The amount is insignificant.

 

[Greenbook]

You're scaremongering.

I'm not scaremongering at all. This is my genuine belief.

The government has no intention to have and cannot afford to have skyrocketing rents. If that happens it is political dynamite and will lose FF and FG the next election.

They've introduced the rigged Rent Register to prevent that from happening.

Do you honestly think that the RTB will support and approve high rents?

Do you honestly think that if a tenant challenges or reports a rent of say €2,600 to the RTB, the RTB will say the landlord is quite entitled to charge that rent? This is the RTB we're taking about.

 

[DannyBoyD]

bad manners not to show up.

agreed

...maybe Grant Thornton takes the view..... just go along with it without wasting any more manpower on it.

Strongly suspect this is the case.

The rent requested was 1000, rtb came in at 930 (from memory), so 800ish down on the year but they likely shrugged & moved on.

 

[stormy]

You can be sure as night follows day GT went to market rent the following year.

Highly unlikely. Cork City was designated as an RPZ in 2016, the year after the Mardan review notice. From that point on the 4% cap (later 2%, then HICP, now CPI-linked) governed. If the unit is still rented (even if not under that 2015 tenancy), the suppressed rent has now compounded over roughly a decade. If it was sold to an investor, the ~7% Tribunal reduction in rent would have translated into a comparable reduction in capital value (RPZ properties are essentially priced on yield).

supplied 4 DAFT adds for properties in Douglas and Roachstown, which are not in Blackrock/Mahon

Learnt something new today as well. On the RTB website you can change the actual electoral area, so gave that a go, found Mahon, rents are lower out there. The Daft one is priced at 1700, none on the RTB, most are well below that, the closest is coming in at 1500.

Now that's pretty handy. Coz one can play with that to justify market rents or any rent actually. My conclusions, the whole thing is nonsense. You cannot actually compare like with like. And anyway, market rent is clearly what the actual new rents landlords are achieving.

The furnished DAFT adverts are all in the same Local Electoral Area as the dwelling. It's not too long ago we were arguing we could easily change the LEA and still have it considered comparable. The tribunal here found the properties in the same LEA were not close enough match.

Conclusions:

- Daft ads will be considered
- So will other leases
- make sure you compare like with like
- make sure it's the same general area
- Valuations will be accepted

• DAFT ads - accepted from the tenant, discounted from the landlord (timing)
• Other leases - Nine signed same-complex leases were called "most useful" and then discounted anyway in favour of an index back-calculation
• Same general area - the tribunal required same complex, and even discounted that. Same-LEA comparators were explicitly set aside
• Valuations will be accepted - this is not supported. The landlord referenced valuations but didn't furnish them. They were furnished in the Andriuska case and then set aside anyway.

Though on this, maybe Grant Thornton takes the view, that the RTB is the Wild West and just go along with it without wasting any more manpower on it. You'll lost one case, you move on, you learn and meanwhile you're increasing your rents anyway

I think this is a stretch. The case was actually quite well-prepared. Nine signed same-complex leases, a 127-unit portfolio for context, professional support.

What sank them was the the Tribunal's preference for index-based back-calculation over achieved-rent evidence. Even if Grant Thornton had attended in person and provided every inventory and fixture detail, I'm not sure the outcome would be much different.

 

[Bronte]

Galway 9 one beds to let

https://www.daft.ie/property-for-rent/galway-city-centre-galway?numBeds_from=1&numBeds_to=1

Dismiss the two students accommodations and the 2 studios we are left with 5 @ 1150, 1750, ,2200 2250, 2500 - wow we are really seeing the market rents now ! I'll also discount the one in Newcastle at 1150 as it says 'compact' and I'm guessing it's more like a studio as they are not showing the bedroom. The one at 2500 is very spacious, but the owner could have put a lot more thought into the layout in the kitchen !

Now let's check the RTB

- in yellow is the closest to city center, range of the 4 is 1000 to 1300.
- can another poster confirm the following, the two properties outlined in red biro, they are 1st registration in 2026, whereas the one in blue biro, that was first registered in May 2025 and renewed in 2026?
- the one rented at 716 Euro is 1st registration in June 2018? Just trying to get a full handle on the RTB register

 

[Gerard0]

- can another poster confirm the following, the two properties outlined in red biro, they are 1st registration in 2026,

That's correct Bronte

The first four digits of the RT tell you when the tenancy was registered eg April 2026

 

[Bronte]

Thanks Gerard,

So from the tables I put up last month, and this month, we'lll be able to figure out if the Index reflects market rents at the time, which of course it can't. That list above, has only 2 new registrations in 2026, March and April. One from 2018, 2 in 2020, 3 from 2024 & 2025,

The RTB and Daft are constantly stating rents are going up. As a landlord I cannot be expected to use rents for a new rent in 2026 based on 8 in that RTB list. Because 8 of them are most certainly not market rents.

If I was renting in that list, today May, there is none in May ! I'm going to go back to another city to double check this.

Edit, when I stared around the 10th April, there were only a couple of rentals in 2026, from January, which I would assume are rentals from December. as the month progressed it got better, but it's exceedingly difficult to guage market rents from the register at a given moment as it's a snapshot from the past, and the distant past in many cases.

 

[Gerard0]

Just to let you know I'm running another short talk on Zoom on the Rent Register on Friday 22 May at 4pm for 30 minutes. Details on Eventbrite... Rent Register

I might run the same talk again on Saturday 23 May in case Friday doesn't suit some people.

It looks like the RTB will be publishing their Quarterly Update Report soon, which should be interesting.

 

[Premos]

It looks like the RTB will be publishing their Quarterly Update Report soon, which should be interesting

My understanding is that it's due tomorrow

 

[Gerard0]

whereas the one in blue biro, that was first registered in May 2025 and renewed in 2026?

That's also correct.... If you see 26 at the end of the number like that it means the registration was renewed in 2026 and it was an Existing Tenancy before March 2026 so the rent could have increased by 2% for that tenancy.

 

[Bronte]

Just to let you know I'm running another short talk on Zoom on the Rent Register on Friday 22 May at 4pm for 30 minutes. Details on Eventbrite... Rent Register

Here's the link to the event

The New Rent Register for Residential Tenancies in Ireland

The new Rent Register for Residential Tenancies in Ireland: how to use the Register and what to avoid

www.eventbrite.ie

On that link it states this:

The new Rent Register was published in March 2026 and for the first time landlords, tenants and agents can access information in relation to rents for similar properties in a comparable area. When setting the rent for a new tenancy or reviewing the rent for an existing tenancy the landlord must identify 3 suitable comparators from the Rent Register.

What it does not state:

- whether your new rent must be equal to one of the rents on the register (so far no legal commentator has gone that far)

Maybe the eventbrite will shed light on the thinking on this !

 

[Bronte]

Limerick, let's do this again as the RTB pointed out they didn't understand why the rent increase is 12%

9 to rent city center

https://www.daft.ie/property-for-rent/limerick-city?numBeds_from=1&numBeds_to=1

Minus 3 studios and a low price in Farrnshore because it's not an aparment as it's a single bedroom in a house. So we have 4 for rent

3 properties in what looks like a new development in Thomas Street at €1950, €1950, €2100, plus one in Charlotte House 2200

It would be fair to say the rents now in Limerick for decent one beds is €2000 and heading highter, let's see how the RTB register is

have to do it in two today

- 3 registrations in 2026 out of the 10. Rents are €1500, €1500 & €1750, the only other high ones are from 2025 at €1450 and €1693

Definitely edging up a lot in Limerick, when the 4 up for rent on DAFT get rented, registered in the RTB let's say by July, at least 8 on this list will be nearer to €2000 and we will lose the abberations like those above at €530, €616, €711 & €858. Making it much easier for landlords to find actual current market rents on 3 properties when they increase their rents.

Edit: I think I did 40 m2

 

[Bronte]

Let me now compare Limerick to what I did on 10 April, aided by my new found knowledge from doing this for the delight and entertainment of AAM viewers .... it's a good thing I learnt how to copy paste from the RTB website, so there is a trail ...

On 10 April there was only two registrations from 2026. But before I compare I'd better do Limerick based on the criteria I used in April. BER C1 and 30 sq M So this is what I see

- the 4 circled in blue were there on 10th April
- two that were registered in 2026 January are not in the above list. Rent €1100 & €1300 (they did not have a BER), this is very odd that they are no longer there, because the 2019 low registration of €830 rent and the 2024 low rent of €858 and the 2024 rent of €631 are still there today.

Link https://www.askaboutmoney.com/threads/rtb-rent-register.243258/page-20 first Limerick one post 398

 

[Bronte]

If we are going to have to use Market Rent from the RTB register would it not make more sense to see the registrations from 2026.

And of course Market Rent from RTB Register is a misnomer, because it's daft - lol

 

[Gerard0]

Here's the link to the event

Thank you Bronte!

 

[Gerard0]

we are going to have to use Market Rent from the RTB register would it not make more sense to see the registrations from 2026.

This is a very good point. It's important the Register clearly highlights the most recently registered tenancies first. As more and more new tenancies are registered this will happen, but the Register needs to make it clear to people that a property has been reset to market level post March 2026

I know everyone on this thread has a good understanding of the new rules. But I will be explaining the legalities in my Zoom talk on Friday 22 May in detail. I hope to go through it systematically so everyone has a clear picture. I hope some might find it interesting. Details on Eventbrite.

 

[Bronte]

but the Register needs to make it clear to people that a property has been reset to market level post March 2026

The RTB does not want to do that. Look at the first 3 properties in Limerick above in post 695.

Rent of a 2018, reregisted in 2025 is €616
Next one, registered in Jan 2025, oddly reregistered in 2025, is €711
3rd one from 2025, reregisted in 2026 is €1693.

All the same area Shannon B, those are wildly different rents. Same sizing. We’ve no real clue as to location, Shannon B is going to have some rough areas and some lovely areas, same for any city, but we can say the first one is an RPZ outlier, the first one, so it should not be in the list at all. Not if the stated purpose of the Tool/register is for landlords to “demonstrate” to the RTB 3 “comparable” market rents.

What about the second low one, could be RPZ constricted, why else would the rent be low, unless it’s a complete dive in a terrible area. The RTB knows if it’s an RPZ, but we don’t.

I wonder if setting 2k for a brand new one bed , in Shannon B, if the landlord used the 3 lowest, those under €800, what would the RTB actually do, I don’t see they can do anything. As you’ve only to “supply” 3 comparables, they’ve provided the list of comparables, so that’s on them. Their register is bonkers as it’s not up to date, and has RPZ restrictions in it. It’s not actually comparable as regards location, nor is there any way to gauge standard of dwelling.