Insights
The new legislation commencing on the 4th of April 2022 requires landlords to re-register
their tenancies with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) every year.
Landlords must now register tenancies annually
Starting with 4 April 2022, all landlords are required to register a tenancy (or a licence in Student Specific Accommodation SSA) every year with the RTB – Residential Tenancies Board. Landlords must register within 1 month of the start of the tenancy, or within 1 month of the anniversary of when that tenancy started, for so long as the tenancy/SSA licence exists. For existing tenancies, from 4 April 2022, each year on the anniversary of the date the tenancy began, landlords must re-register that tenancy on an annual basis, for so long as the tenancy/SSA licence exists.
How to register online
The quickest and most efficient way to register a tenancy is by using RTB’s online account system, as setting up an online account is a fairly simple task. The RTB online registration will inform the landlords in advance of the yearly anniversary to make sure that they register in time and avoid
the late fees penalties.
In order to register a tenancy with RTB, landlords will be required to provide the following information: Rented Dwelling Address, Dwelling Type, Bedspaces & Number of Occupants, Approximate Floor Area in Square Metres, BER Cert Rating, Local Authority in which rented dwelling is located, Tenancy Commencement Date, Landlord name/address/PPSN, Tenant Name/PPSN, Authorised Agent, Management Company.
Fees
The fee to register a tenancy will be €40pa for private rentals, cost rentals and Student Specific Accommodation (SSA) rentals. The annual fee for tenancies managed by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) will be €20pa. A temporary registration fee waiver will be available for those landlords who currently have a ‘Further Part 4’ tenancy in place. Tenancies that have a duration longer than 6 months are called ‘Part Four’ tenancies. Until now, in Ireland, tenancies either had a duration of 4 or
6 years, depending on when the tenancy started.
Transition Period
To further assist landlords in this changeover to annual registration, there will be a four-month transition period for tenancies which have renewal anniversaries between 4 April and 3 July 2022. This transition period ends on 3 August 2022.
Why the new rules in 2022
The new requirement came into effect on 4 April, after minister Darragh O’Brien signed the orders and the Minister for Housing released the statutory instruments to bring the measure into effect. The minister described the introduction of annual registration as important in helping the RTB to
monitor and regulate the sector.
Mr. O’Brien stated that “in comparison to the current system of registration, annual registration of tenancies (and licences in student-specific accommodation) by landlords with the RTB is a simpler and more effective registration model for the rental sector”. He also mentioned that up-to-date registration data would also help the Government to have a clearer picture of the rental sector and to better inform their decision-making process on policy
changes.