New rent rules face implementation risks as March deadline looms, IPAV warns
Landlords and tenants could face delays and uncertainty as RTB capacity and systems come under pressure
15 January 2026 | 📧 editor@ipropertyradio.com
A “miracle” will be required for the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) to be ready to implement the Government’s new rent control measures by 1 March, according to IPAV, the Institute of Professional Auctioneers & Valuers.
The warning comes as the Government plans a major overhaul of the RTB’s public rent register under the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2025. The revised register is intended to underpin a new definition of market rent and expanded rent controls.
IPAV chief executive Genevieve McGuirk said the Government envisages the RTB having a new, more detailed register in place to support the legislation. The proposed system will require significant logistical and IT upgrades and will include data on the number of bedrooms, floor area, Building Energy Rating (BER), and rent payable for each tenancy.
Under the proposals, the information will be searchable by postcode rather than by individual property address, reflecting data protection requirements. However, Ms McGuirk said there is growing concern across the sector that the RTB will not be in a position to deliver these changes within the proposed timeframe.
She pointed to data quality as a major issue, noting that floor area information currently held may be inaccurate in many cases. In addition, landlords and agents will need training and sufficient time to familiarise themselves with both the new system and the revised definition of market rent, which will rely heavily on the accuracy and completeness of the register.
For landlords, the new regime is also expected to require detailed rent calculation information and the use of three comparable properties, adding further complexity at a time when the RTB is already under strain.
“The RTB is already under severe pressure with its current workload,” Ms McGuirk said, highlighting an existing backlog in dispute resolution cases. She warned that introducing a complex new system without adequate lead-in time risks compounding these challenges.
IPAV believes a minimum six-month lead-in period after enactment of the legislation will be necessary. Without this, the organisation warns of a “period of chaos”, with significant delays and uncertainty affecting renters, landlords and agents alike.
The comments follow the publication of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage report on pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill, to which IPAV made a submission. According to Ms McGuirk, the committee heard broad consensus from contributors that the proposed reforms are unlikely to reduce rents or address homelessness.
She said the organisation continues to argue that the primary focus of housing policy should be on increasing supply, with measures to build more homes taking precedence over further rent regulation. While IPAV has welcomed the work of the Accelerating Infrastructure Task Force as a positive step, it cautioned that any tangible impact on housing delivery is unlikely to be immediate.
For both landlords and tenants, the coming weeks are likely to bring continued uncertainty as the legislative process advances and questions remain over whether the RTB can be operationally ready by the 1 March deadline.
