Notices to quit surge by 51% before rental law changes took effect
Evictions in Ireland rose to their highest levels on record ahead of the introduction of controversial new rental rules in March, according to the latest data from the Residential Tenancies Board.In the first quarter of 2026, there were 7,062 notices of termination served on tenants by landlords, a 51% increase on the same period in 2025, with a major spike recorded in February, immediately before the introduction of the new rules.In February, 3,138 eviction notices were served, up from 1,998 in January. The figure stabilised somewhat in March, with an additional 1,926 notices served.The new rental rules, introduced on March 31, sought to increase security of tenure by guaranteeing that tenants who had been renting a property for more than six months would be entitled to remain in situ for a minimum of six years. The changes also meant landlords with multiple rental properties would no longer be entitled to sell a property and evict a tenant.Surge ahead of rule changes The rules had sparked fears of a surge in evictions ahead of their introduction, a trend which appears to have materialised. The number of eviction notices recorded in the first three months of this year was the highest since the RTB began compiling termination data in July 2022.Addressing the media at the launch of the RTB’s latest quarterly report, the board’s director, Rosemary Steen, said there had been “clear indications” from within the rental sector that “some landlords would be leaving with the new rules”.However, Ms Steen noted that the overall number of landlords in the country had increased despite the rise in evictions, up 1.3% year-on-year to 105,847 at the end of March.“It was of concern to me, we had been monitoring it closely,” Ms Steen said of the evictions trend, adding that the downward trend seen from February to March has continued into April, per preliminary figures.“The feedback now is that we’re entering into a period of stability,” she added.Political reaction Eoin Ó Broin, Sinn Féin’s housing spokesperson, described the spike in evictions as “deeply concerning”.“It is a direct result of the Government’s disastrous changes to rent pressure zone rules earlier this year,” he said, adding that “thousands of renters are now facing eviction at the very time that Government has allowed landlords charge new tenants even higher rents”.In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis this will impose even greater financial hardship on many renters. The Government must now accept that what they are doing is wrong, reverse the disastrous changes to the rent pressure zone rules and introduce both a ban on rent increases and a ban on no fault evictions,” Mr O Broin added.Separately, the new data showed that the average rent for new tenancies rose by 5% year-on-year to the end of 2025, reaching an average of €1,755 per month, compared with €1,503 for existing tenancies.The report also found that commercial landlords with multiple tenancies continue to increase their share of the market, with more than 55% of rentals nationwide now provided by such entities.The trend is particularly notable in Dublin, where 29% of all tenancies are provided by landlords who own more than 100 rental properties, the RTB said.
