- The Irish Property Owners Association (IPOA) has warned that Ireland’s private rental sector is approaching a critical breaking point, with recent Government reforms accelerating the exit of small and medium-sized landlords and paving the way for an institutional takeover of the market.
- Launching its Pre-Budget Submission 2027, the IPOA said the continued loss of independent landlords risks creating a rental sector increasingly dominated by large institutional investors, fundamentally changing the nature of rental housing in Ireland and reducing choice, flexibility and stability for tenants.
- The warning comes amid mounting evidence of deepening instability across the sector. According to the latest RTB Quarterly Update, more than 7,000 Notices of Termination were issued in Q1 2026 alone – the highest level on record – with 60% linked to landlords intending to sell their properties.
- In Dublin, the proportion of tenancies held by landlords with one to three properties fell from 40.4% in Q1 2024 to 36.5% in Q1 2026, while landlords with four or more tenancies increased their share from 59.6% to 63.5% over the same period. The IPOA warned that similar trends are emerging outside Dublin, where the loss of small independent landlords is reducing already limited rental availability in many rural towns and villages.
- The IPOA said these trends are direct consequences of Government policy choices that have made remaining in the rental sector financially and operationally unviable for many ordinary landlords.
IPOA Chair Mary Conway said:
“Small and medium-sized landlords, who have been the backbone of rental supply in communities across the country for decades, are being driven out of the market by unfair taxation, regulatory burdens and a policy environment that no longer recognises rental provision as a viable business.
If current trends continue, Ireland will increasingly be left with a rental sector dominated by large institutional investors and corporate funds. That is not healthy for tenants nor for the long-term stability of the housing system”, she said.
The organisation warned that the sector is now facing a dangerous tipping point, where policy designed to improve affordability is instead contributing to worsening shortages, higher rents and reduced availability.
Without landlords, there is no rental market,” Ms. Conway continued.
“Every landlord leaving the sector means one less home available to rent. The consequences are already visible through record rents, unprecedented competition for limited supply, and increasing pressure on tenants across the country.”
The IPOA said Budget 2027 now represents a critical opportunity to prevent further collapse in rental supply and restore confidence in the sector.
Its submission calls for:
- A targeted package of supply-side measures including recognising landlords as businesses for tax purposes
- Reforming Capital Gains Tax to support the retention of rental properties
- Improving cash flow and reinvestment capacity for landlords
- Extending rental income tax reliefs
- Reducing the punitive tax burden imposed on small and medium landlords
“This is not a debate about landlords. This is about whether Ireland will continue to have a functioning private rental sector at all,” Ms. Conway said.
“If meaningful action is not taken in Budget 2027, the State risks sleepwalking into a two-tier rental system dominated by institutional investors, shrinking supply, permanently elevated rents and fewer options for tenants.”
“The Government still has an opportunity to change course. But that window is rapidly closing”, she warned.