Blog
24th September, 2026
September 2026 Rental Law Changes: What Do They Mean for Your Pension Property?
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Following our earlier article on the new rental rules introduced in March 2026, further changes to Ireland’s residential tenancy framework came into effect on 14th September 2026.
While the March changes introduced significant new rules for landlords and tenants, the latest changes are primarily focused on RTB enforcement, compliance and dispute procedures.
If you hold a residential property through your pension, it is worth understanding what these changes mean for the management of your property.
The new RTB enforcement powers
One of the main changes is the Residential Tenancies Board’s (RTB) new power to issue fixed payment notices for certain breaches of rental law. The RTB can issue fixed payments of €100 for most specified breaches, or €200 for rent-related breaches. Such breaches include:
failing to register or update tenancy details,
failing to provide the required rent setting information,
setting rent above the legal limit,
failing to notify the RTB of a rent exemption and incorrectly providing a rent review notice.
If you own a property through your pension, it is important to be clear about who is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the tenancy. The fact that the property is held within a pension does not remove the property’s obligations under the residential tenancy legislation.
It is important that you have a PSRA licensed letting agent in place to ensure that they have the appropriate procedures in place for RTB registration, rent reviews and other compliance requirements.
The RTB’s wider enforcement powers have also been strengthened. The period in which the RTB can bring proceedings for rental offences has increased from one year to three years, and the RTB can now pursue certain historic tenancy-registration breaches. Maximum penalties for offences have also increased.
What are the changes to notices and RTB deadlines?
There has also been a practical change to the procedure for notices of termination and rent review notices. From 14th September 2026, a landlord has seven days after serving the tenant to provide a copy of the relevant notices to the RTB. This replaces the previous requirement for the tenant and the RTB to be served on the same day.
Landlords must still ensure that notices are valid and correctly served. The RTB has specifically highlighted that a termination notice should be received by the tenant on the stated date of service and recommends methods such as email, hand delivery or leaving the notice at the tenant’s address rather than relying on post.
If a notice is not served correctly, this can affect its validity and potentially delay the landlord’s ability to recover possession of the property.
There is also a change to the maximum notice period that can be given to end a tenancy of less than six months, which has increased from 90 days to 120 days. This is a maximum period rather than a minimum notice requirement.
Rent-setting information
The September changes should also be considered alongside the new rent rules introduced from 1st March 2026.
The rules applying to a rent review depend on the date that the tenancy commenced and the circumstances of the property. In certain circumstances, a landlord may be able to reset the rent to market rent, while other tenancies remain subject to the applicable annual rent cap.
For tenancies first created from 1st March 2026, landlords must provide the tenants with information explaining how the rent was calculated. This includes information on the previous rent, where relevant, and comparable rents from the RTB Rent Register. A copy of the required information must also be provided to the RTB within one month of the tenancy beginning.
If your pension property has had a change in tenancy since March, it is worth ensuring that the necessary information was provided and that relevant records have been retained.
This is particularly relevant now because failing to provide the required rent-setting information is one of the matters for which the RTB can issue a fixed payment notice.
Disputes with tenants and RTB hearings
Another significant change introduced on 14th September is that RTB adjudication hearings are now public for disputes where the application was made on or after that date. The RTB will also publish the full adjudication report on its website.
If a dispute with a tenant goes to adjudication, the hearing and the resulting report may now be available publicly. The published report can include the names of the parties, the rental property address, details of the evidence presented and the outcome of the dispute.
This is another reason to keep good records throughout the tenancy. You should be able to show that the property was properly registered, that rent was set and reviewed in accordance with the legislation, and that any notices were served correctly.
Mediation remains private, so not every RTB dispute will be dealt with publicly.
What to consider before buying or renovating?
The changes are also worth keeping in mind if you are considering buying a residential property through your pension or carrying out substantial works to an existing property.
The rules around rent controls and exemptions are detailed, and the criteria for the “substantial change” exemption have also been amended. The focus is now on improvements in primary energy use rather than the previous BER-based test.
If renovation works are being considered partly with a view to changing the rent that can be charged, the relevant requirements should be understood before the work begins.
Similarly, if you are looking at purchasing a property with an existing tenant, the tenancy should form part of your due diligence. The rent being received is only one part of the picture. It is also important to understand when the tenancy started, what rent rules apply and what restrictions may apply if you later want to sell or otherwise recover possession of the property.
What should you do now?
For most pension property owners, the September changes are unlikely to require a change to the pension arrangement itself. They do, however, make the day-to-day management of the property more important.
And if you are considering buying a property through your pension, the rental arrangements should be considered as part of the investment decision from the outset. The current rent, the tenancy arrangements and any restrictions on future rent reviews or ending the tenancy can all be important.
As always, the rules can depend on the individual property and tenancy, so appropriate professional financial and legal advice should be taken before making decisions about your pension property.