Landlords (including those who let student-specific accommodation) must register residential tenancies with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) and update the RTB if information about the tenancy changes.
The information taken in registration is used to populate the publicly available register, this register shows the address of the property and the number of bedrooms. It does not show the identity of the landlord or the tenants, or the amount of the rent.
When Do You Register A Tenancy?
New tenancies must be registered within a month of the start of the tenancy.
*Annual Registration – The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2019 provides for the annual registration of tenancies and sets a new cost for annual registration, which will be €40 per tenancy. Annual registration has not commenced yet, IPOA will keep members updated on this.
When Do You Renew A Registration?
For tenancies that began before the 24th December 2016, when a tenancy has been in existence for 4 years, it must be renewed.
For tenancies that began after 24th December 2016, when a tenancy has been in existence for 6 years, it must be renewed.
What is the Cost of Registration?
It currently costs €90 to register a tenancy, a late fee of €180 applies to tenancies not registered within one month of the commencement of the tenancy.
How Do I Pay?
Payments can be made by:
- Credit/Debit/Laser Card
- Bank Draft
- Postal Order
- Cheque
Do All Properties Have to Be Registered?
No, registration with the RTB does not apply to the following types of let property:
- Business lettings
- Holiday lettings
- Formerly rent-controlled properties or long-occupation lease tenancies – separate legislation applies to them
- Owner-occupied accommodation (for example, if you rent a room in your own home)
- Properties in which the spouse, parent or child of the landlord lives. This applies to informal family arrangements where there is no tenancy agreement in writing. However, the Acts do cover formal agreements between family members, for example where a lease has been signed
- Lettings by license (other than student licences)
How Do I Register?
You can register/renew online or by completing a form and issue by post.
Click HERE for paper form
*IF POSTING AN APPLICATION ENSURE TO KEEP A COPY OF THE FORM AND PROOF OF POSTAGE TO THE RTB FOR YOUR OWN RECORDS.
Click HERE for online system & HERE for guide to online registration.
You will need the following information in order to register a tenancy:
- Rented Dwelling Address
- Dwelling Type (i.e. Whole of House/Apartment/Flat Bedrooms,
- Bedspaces & Number of Occupants
- Approximate Floor Area in Square Metres
- BER Cert Rating (if applicable)
- Local Authority in which rented dwelling is located
- Tenancy Commencement Date
- Landlord name/address/ppsn
- Tenant Name/ppsn
- Authorised Agent (if applicable) Name/Address/CRO number/ppsn
- Management Company (if applicable) Name/Address/CRO number
- Social housing provided by local authorities
What Happens After I Complete The Registration Form?
Once the tenancy registration has been fully processed by the RTB and paid in full by the landlord, both landlord and tenant(s) will receive a letter, confirming the tenancy has been registered. Letters of confirmation are issued by e-mail or post, depending on the preferred method of communication chosen by the landlord.
Tenancy confirmation letters should be kept in a safe place as landlords may need to refer to them during the tenancy or after the tenancy has ended.
Landlords may use the confirmation letter as a receipt for payment of the registration fee, where appropriate. Landlords may be requested to provide this confirmation letter to the Revenue Commissioners when seeking mortgage interest relief on residential properties. Tenants may require proof of their tenancy for a number of State Agencies, the confirmation letter may be required for this purpose.
Registrations during Covid-19?
During the COVID-19 emergency period, the RTB are asking all landlords to use the online tenancy registration option instead of paper applications as the RTB will be limited in its ability to process paper applications during this time and the handling of paper presents its own health and safety risk.
Although no formal arrangements have been put in place, the RTB understands that landlords may be facing difficulties as a result of COVID-19. As such, if a landlord is having issues which prevent a registration to take place on time during the emergency period, the RTB is open to reviewing late fees with landlords on a case by case basis. Please contact the RTB immediately if you have issues relating to registering on time (within one month of tenancy commencing), contact registrations@rtb.ie .