Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026 - Regulatory Impact Analysis

The Private Rental Sector Review, published in July 2024, highlighted the need to improve certain aspects of rent regulation.

Following the completion of the review, the Housing Agency was requested to undertake a review of Rent Pressure Zones. “Review of Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) and Consideration of Potential Policy Options for Rent Controls in the Private Rented Sector”, was published in April 2025. A key focus of the review was to examine the impact of RPZs on the rental market and to make recommendations on whether rent controls should be removed, modified or amended.

The Housing Agency report recommended that the existing system of rent controls be modified with the introduction of a national system of rent controls allowing rental prices adjust with inflation within a tenancy, and for rent resetting between tenancies to reflect market rents, with enhanced tenancy security measures to protect against economic evictions. On 10 June 2025, the Government approved new policies to strengthen rent controls and tenancy protections for new tenancies created from 1 March 2026.

These changes are based on recommendations from the Housing Agency.

The Regulatory Impact Analysis on the General Scheme of the Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026 is published below.