Residential Tenancies Bill passed in late-night Dáil vote clearing way for rent resets
Opposition warns up to 60,000 new tenants could face increases of €3,000 to €5,000 a year
12 February 2026 | 📧 editor@ipropertyradio.com
Legislation introducing significant changes to Ireland’s rental market was passed in the Dáil shortly before 11pm on Wednesday night by 80 votes to 70.
The Residential Tenancies Bill 2026 was approved following more than five hours of debate. Government-supporting Independent TD Danny Healy-Rae voted against the Coalition. Independent TD Gillian Toole, who supports the Government, abstained at Second Stage and was not present for the final vote or subsequent roll call requested by Sinn FĂ©in.
Under the legislation, landlords will be permitted to reset rents to prevailing market levels where a tenancy ends and a property becomes vacant. The change will apply from 1 March 2026. Existing tenancies will not be affected.
All new tenancies created after 1 March will be subject to a minimum six-year duration, a measure the Government says is designed to strengthen security of tenure for renters. The Bill will proceed to the Seanad on Thursday.
During the debate, Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin said approximately 60,000 potential first-time tenants could be impacted by rent resets over the next 12 months. He said new renters could face increases of between 20% and 30%, equating to annual rises of between €3,000 and €5,000 in some cases.
Social Democrats housing spokesperson Rory Hearne described the legislation as based on what he called a flawed market theory of housing and said it would lead to higher rents. Labour’s housing spokesperson Conor Sheehan said the changes risked a return to what he termed “economic evictions”, arguing that some tenants could be priced out of the market.
People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett criticised the policy as contradictory, arguing that allowing rents to rise on reset would not result in lower rents in the longer term.
Defending the Bill, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the Government was “biting the bullet and taking action”. He said both the Housing Commission and the Housing Agency had recommended reform of rent pressure zone measures. He said the reforms would provide “stability, clarity and certainty” for both renters and landlords and would support a transition towards ending no-fault evictions.
Mr Martin said increasing supply remained the central mechanism for moderating rental prices. “The only effective way to moderate pricing in the rental market is to increase supply,” he said.
Minister for Housing James Browne said the measures would strengthen tenants’ rights while also supporting investment in the sector, which he said was necessary to increase overall housing supply.
The legislation represents a significant recalibration of Ireland’s rent pressure zone framework and is likely to have immediate implications for new entrants to the rental market once enacted.
