Part 4 tenancy vs the new 6-year tenancy in Ireland
On 1 March 2026, the rules for renting in Ireland split into a clear before and after. Tenancies that started before that date still run on Part 4. Tenancies that start on or after it run on a new structure: the 6-year Tenancy of Minimum Duration. This guide explains what each one means, which set of rules applies to your tenancy, how rent and notice work now, and when you can still end a tenancy to sell.
The two regimes at a glance
| Part 4 tenancy (before 1 March 2026) | Tenancy of Minimum Duration (from 1 March 2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Governing law | Residential Tenancies Act 2004, Part 4, as amended | Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 |
| Applies to | Tenancies created before 1 March 2026 | Tenancies created on or after 1 March 2026 |
| Security of tenure starts | After 6 continuous months | After 6 continuous months |
| Cycle length | 4 years, 6 years, or unlimited, depending on the start date | 6-year cycles, rolling indefinitely |
| Who is bound for the term | The landlord. The tenant can still leave on notice | The landlord. The tenant can still leave on notice |
| Ending it, small landlord (3 or fewer tenancies) | The standard grounds, including sale, occupation, refurbishment and change of use | During the term: tenant breach, property no longer suitable, hardship sale, family occupation. At the end of a cycle: also sale, refurbishment and change of use |
| Ending it, large landlord (4 or more, or any company) | The standard grounds, subject to the start-date limits | Tenant breach or property no longer suitable only. Never sale, occupation, refurbishment or change of use |
| Rent increase cap | Rent Pressure Zone rules, where the area was designated | Nationwide: once every 12 months, the lower of 2% or inflation |
| Can you end it to sell? | Yes, on the sale ground, with an offer-back duty | Small landlord: hardship only during the term, freely at a cycle end. Large landlord: never, though you can sell with the tenant in place |
What a Part 4 tenancy is
"Part 4" is the part of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 that gives a tenant security of tenure, the right to stay in the property. It isn't a separate agreement you sign. It's a protection that switches on by itself once a tenancy has run long enough.
The trigger is six months. Once a tenant has lived in the property for six continuous months, and you haven't served a valid notice of termination in that time, they have a Part 4 tenancy.
- In the first six months, you can end the tenancy for any reason, as long as you serve a valid notice of termination.
- After six months, you can only end it on specific legal grounds, with the correct notice period.
That six-month line is the same idea that carries into the new rules. What changed on 1 March 2026 is what happens next.
The new 6-year Tenancy of Minimum Duration
For any tenancy created on or after 1 March 2026, the structure is the Tenancy of Minimum Duration, set out in the Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026.
- The same six-month trigger. Security of tenure begins once the tenant has rented for six continuous months with no valid notice of termination served in that time.
- Six-year cycles, rolling. A Tenancy of Minimum Duration runs for six years, then renews for another six. It doesn't expire at the six-year mark. If you don't lawfully end it when a cycle is up, a fresh six-year cycle simply begins.
- The minimum binds you, not the tenant. The six years is a commitment from the landlord. A tenant can still leave at any time by giving the required written notice.
The name says it plainly: it's a minimum duration the landlord signs up to, not a fixed term the tenant is locked into.
Which rules apply to your tenancy
The deciding factor is the date the tenancy started, not the property and not the landlord.
- Started before 1 March 2026: Part 4 applies, in the form that was in force when the tenancy began. The new rules don't convert it.
- Started on or after 1 March 2026: the Tenancy of Minimum Duration applies, with its 6-year cycles.
Because nothing was converted, several regimes now run side by side. Part 4 cycle lengths have changed over the years, so an older tenancy's cycle depends on exactly when it started:
| Tenancy start date | What applies | Cycle |
|---|---|---|
| Before 24 December 2016 | Part 4, original | 4-year cycles |
| 24 December 2016 to 10 June 2022 | Part 4, extended | 6-year cycles |
| 11 June 2022 to 28 February 2026 | Tenancy of unlimited duration (Part 4 framework) | No fixed end date |
| From 1 March 2026 | Tenancy of Minimum Duration | 6-year cycles, rolling |
The headline is simple: Part 4 hasn't gone anywhere. It still governs every tenancy that began before 1 March 2026. The new 6-year rules apply only to tenancies created on or after that date.
No five-year rule
There's no special rule at five years. The milestones that matter are six months, when security of tenure begins, and six years, the length of a cycle. Anything you've read about a "five-year" right doesn't reflect the law.
Ending a tenancy, and what landlord size now decides
The biggest change in the new rules is that the grounds for ending a tenancy depend on how many tenancies you hold.
- Small landlord: 3 or fewer tenancies, and not a company.
- Large landlord: 4 or more tenancies, or any company, whatever the number.
Note that it's counted by number of tenancies, not number of properties, and that a company is always treated as a large landlord.
The grounds, side by side
| Ground for ending the tenancy | Before 1 March 2026 (Part 4) | New tenancy, small landlord | New tenancy, large landlord |
|---|---|---|---|
| First 6 months, any reason | Yes, valid notice required | Yes, notice to tenant and RTB the same day | Yes, notice to tenant and RTB the same day |
| Tenant breaks their obligations, for example rent arrears | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Property no longer suits the tenant's needs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sale of the property | Yes, with offer-back | Hardship only during the term, freely at a cycle end | Never, but you can sell with the tenant in place |
| Landlord or close family moving in | Yes, for private landlords | Yes, during the term and at a cycle end | Never |
| Substantial refurbishment | Yes | End of a 6-year cycle only | Never |
| Change of use | Yes | End of a 6-year cycle only | Never |
| No reason, after 6 months | Only at a cycle end, and only for tenancies that began before 11 June 2022 | Never | Never |
The practical effect for a large landlord is that the broader grounds never come back, not even at a cycle boundary. That's why you'll sometimes see a large landlord's new tenancy described as a tenancy of unlimited duration. A small landlord, by contrast, gets the full set of grounds back at the end of each six-year cycle.
Selling during the term: the hardship test for small landlords
If you're a small landlord and you need to end a new tenancy to sell during the six-year term, you can only do it to avoid genuine hardship. You, or your spouse or civil partner, must need the sale proceeds to:
- buy or provide a home you'll normally live in, or
- repay a debt you're legally obliged to pay, where the amount is 15% or more of the property's asking price, and the debt is paid within 9 months of the tenancy ending, or
- deal with personal insolvency or bankruptcy.
A statutory declaration is required. At the end of a six-year cycle, a small landlord can sell without meeting the hardship test, as long as the notice is served before the cycle expires.
Offer-back: if you don't go through with it
End a tenancy on a no-fault ground and then make the property available to let again, and you have to offer it back to the former tenant first, within:
- 9 months if you ended the tenancy to sell and the sale didn't complete, or
- 12 months if you ended it for landlord or family occupation, change of use, or substantial refurbishment.
Re-letting inside those windows without offering it back can invalidate the original termination.
Notice periods
The 2026 reform didn't change how much notice you have to give. The length still depends on how long the tenancy has lasted:
| Tenancy length | Notice period |
|---|---|
| Less than 6 months | 90 days |
| 6 months to 1 year | 152 days |
| 1 to 7 years | 180 days |
| 7 to 8 years | 196 days |
| Over 8 years | 224 days |
Shorter notice applies in specific cases: 7 days for serious anti-social behaviour, and 28 days for a tenant breach or rent arrears after the required warning notice.
What is new from 1 March 2026: every notice of termination has to be copied to the RTB on the same day you serve it on the tenant. Miss that, and the notice is invalid.
Rent rules from 1 March 2026
From 1 March 2026, rent control applies nationwide. The old Rent Pressure Zone system, where only designated areas were capped, was replaced by a single national cap: the lower of 2% or inflation, measured by the Consumer Price Index, reviewable once every 12 months. This applies to new and existing tenancies alike.
In practice that means you can review the rent once a year, and any increase is held to whichever is lower, 2% or the rate of inflation. If inflation is 1.5%, the cap is 1.5%. If inflation is 3%, the cap is 2%. It can come in under 2%, but never over.
Work out the most you can charge with the RPZ calculator.
When rent can be reset to market rate
Most of the time, rent tracks that 2% or inflation ceiling. You can reset it to open-market rent only in a defined set of cases:
- a new tenancy where the previous tenant left by choice,
- a new tenancy where the previous one ended because the tenant broke their obligations,
- a new tenancy where the property no longer met the previous tenant's needs,
- the property's first-ever letting,
- a property with no tenancy for at least 2 years, or 1 year if it's a protected structure,
- a property that was substantially renovated and offered back to the previous tenant, or
- the end of a 6-year cycle, on a tenancy created from 1 March 2026.
You cannot reset to market rent after a no-fault termination. So if you ended the tenancy to sell, for your own or family occupation, or for change of use, the cap still applies to the next letting.
When you do reset, you have to justify the new rent to both the tenant and the RTB, with three comparable rents from the RTB Rent Register for properties that match in size, type and character, including BER, plus a statement that the new rent isn't above market rate.
Your RTB duties, in short
Alongside the standard requirement to register your tenancy with the RTB, the reform added two documentation duties: copy every notice of termination to the RTB on the same day, and back up any rent reset with the three Rent Register comparables above. Registration itself didn't change. For how to register, see the RTB registration guide.
What this means in practice
Under the new rules, a tenancy is a commitment measured in years, not months. Once a tenant passes the six-month mark, security of tenure runs for the rest of a six-year cycle, and the grounds for ending it early are narrow. For larger landlords, very narrow.
None of that is a complaint about the reform. It's simply the shape of the regime now. What it changes is where your attention is best spent: on the choice you make at the application stage, because that choice can carry for up to six years.
See who fits, before you commit to six years.
RightTenantry reads every application, ranks your shortlist fairly, and shows you what doesn't add up, so the tenant you choose is one you chose on the evidence.
Earlier in the journey, the place to start is a fair, consistent read of every applicant. Our tenant vetting checklist covers what to check, and how to keep it within the Equal Status Acts.
Common questions
What is a tenancy of minimum duration?
It's the structure that applies to tenancies created from 1 March 2026. It runs in six-year cycles: once a tenant has been in the property for six continuous months, they have security of tenure for the rest of the six years, and the tenancy rolls into a fresh six-year cycle rather than expiring. The six-year minimum binds the landlord, not the tenant. A tenant can still leave at any time by giving the required notice.
Does Part 4 still exist?
Yes. Part 4 is the part of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 that gives tenants security of tenure, and it still governs every tenancy that began before 1 March 2026. It hasn't been abolished. Tenancies created from 1 March 2026 follow the new Tenancy of Minimum Duration rules instead, but the same idea carries over: a tenant gains security of tenure after six continuous months. So Part 4 still applies to older lettings, and newer ones run on the 6-year tenancy.
What rights does a tenant have after six months?
After six continuous months with no valid notice of termination served in that time, the tenant gains security of tenure, the right to stay. From that point you can only end the tenancy on specific legal grounds and with the correct notice period. For a tenancy created from 1 March 2026, this is the start of the six-year Tenancy of Minimum Duration. For an older tenancy, it's a Part 4 tenancy. Security of tenure doesn't remove the tenant's obligations: they still have to pay the rent, keep the property in good order, and behave responsibly.
Can I end a tenancy to sell my house?
It depends on when the tenancy started and how many tenancies you hold:
- Tenancy from before 1 March 2026: yes, you can end it to sell, on the sale ground. If the sale doesn't complete and you re-let, you have to offer it back to the former tenant within 9 months.
- New tenancy, you hold 3 or fewer tenancies: during the six-year term, only if you meet the hardship test, where you or your spouse or civil partner need the proceeds for a home, to repay a debt of 15% or more of the asking price within 9 months, or to deal with insolvency. At the end of a six-year cycle, you can sell without the hardship test.
- New tenancy, you hold 4 or more tenancies, or you're a company: no, you can't end the tenancy to sell at any point. You can still sell the property, but with the tenant staying on. The tenancy transfers to the buyer.
When can rent be reset to market rate?
Normally rent can only rise once every 12 months, by the lower of 2% or inflation. You can reset to open-market rent only in defined cases: the previous tenant left by choice, the previous tenancy ended because the tenant broke their obligations, the property had no tenancy for at least 2 years, or 1 year for a protected structure, it's the property's first-ever letting, it was substantially renovated and offered back to the previous tenant, or you reach the end of a six-year cycle on a tenancy created from 1 March 2026. You can't reset to market rent after ending a tenancy for sale, your own or family occupation, or change of use. When you do reset, you have to show the tenant and the RTB three comparable rents from the RTB Rent Register.
Sources
Every rule on this page is drawn from the Residential Tenancies Board, gov.ie, and Citizens Information.
- RTB: Tenant's right to stay in a rented property from 1 March 2026
- RTB: How a landlord can end a tenancy from 1 March 2026
- RTB: Setting and reviewing private rents from 1 March 2026
- RTB: Security of tenure
- gov.ie: Government Reforms to the Rental Sector, starting 1 March 2026
- Citizens Information: Changes to the rules for renting from March 2026
- Citizens Information: Types of tenancy
This is general information for Irish landlords, not legal or financial advice. The rules change, so check the current position with the RTB before you act.