The short answer
- Upfront: at most one month’s rent as a deposit, and one month in advance, bills included.
- Scams: see the place and meet the landlord before you pay anything.
- Your paperwork: a written agreement, a deposit receipt, and an RTB registration within a month.
- Rent increases: once a year, 2% at most, or inflation if lower.
- Tax back: the Rent Tax Credit, up to €1,000 a year.
Check your rental
Rent checker
Whether the deposit and rent in advance are legal, scam warning signs, and your Rent Tax Credit.
What to have ready
From the RTB, Revenue and Garda guidance. Estimates only. Nothing you enter is sent or saved.
Before you pay anything
Rental scams are common, especially when students arrive. Gardaí describe three kinds:
- the “landlord” is abroad and can’t show you the place, but wants a deposit;
- someone shows the place to many people, takes several deposits and disappears;
- everything seems normal until the keys don’t work and the landlord has vanished.
To protect yourself, Gardaí advise you to:
- See the property in person, and meet the landlord or agent there.
- Check who they are: ask for photo ID, and take a photo of it.
- Pay the landlord or their agent, not the people leaving, a courier or anyone else.
- Check the keys open the door, and sign the agreement, before you pay.
- Keep receipts and messages, and avoid cash.
If the rent seems too good to be true, it probably is. If you’ve already paid a scammer, report it at your local Garda station.
What a landlord can ask for upfront
| Payment | Legal maximum |
|---|---|
| Deposit | One month’s rent |
| Rent in advance | One month’s rent, including any advance payment for bills or service charges |
| In total, to secure the tenancy | Two months’ rent |
Asking for more is a breach of rental law that you can report to the RTB. Get a signed, dated receipt for your deposit, and know who holds it: the landlord or the agent.
Your first week, step by step
- Get a written tenancy agreement before you move in. The RTB has a free sample agreement.
- Agree an inventory, signed by both of you, and take dated photos of the place.
- Get your landlord’s name and contact details, even if an agent manages the property.
- Check the rent setting notice: your landlord must give you one, with the last rent and three rents for similar homes from the RTB Rent Register.
- Watch for the RTB letter: your landlord registers the tenancy within one month, and you get a letter with an RT number. If it doesn’t come, you can report your landlord.
Your tenancy agreement also works as proof of address after you arrive, for example when you apply for your PPS number.
The rent rules since 1 March 2026
Rent Pressure Zones are gone. A national system of rent control now covers every private tenancy in Ireland:
- Rent can rise once a year, by 2% or by inflation if that’s lower, with 90 days’ written notice.
- For a new tenancy, a landlord can only reset to market rent if the last tenant left by choice or broke their obligations, or at the end of a 6-year tenancy cycle.
- After 6 months, your landlord can only end the tenancy for specific legal reasons.
Some new apartments and student accommodation follow slightly different rules. The changes apply to tenancies that started on or after 1 March 2026; older tenancies keep their own rules on ending, but rent increases are limited for all.
The Rent Tax Credit
You can get 20% of your rent back off your income tax, up to:
| A year | |
|---|---|
| Single | €1,000 |
| Married or civil partners, taxed jointly | €2,000 |
- Check your tenancy is registered with the RTB, and have your RT number.
- Sign in to myAccount, then PAYE Services, “Manage your tax for the current year”.
- Add new credits, and claim the Rent Tax Credit under “You and your family”.
It only reduces income tax, not USC or PRSI, and you need to pay enough tax to use it. You can’t claim it if you get HAP, Rent Supplement or RAS, or rent from an Approved Housing Body. It’s part of your tax credits once you start work.
Help with rent: HAP
The Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) is a social housing support: your local authority pays your landlord, and you pay a contribution based on your income. To get it, you must qualify for social housing support, which needs a long-term right to live in Ireland.
- Most non-EU nationals need at least 5 years’ lawful residence in the last 8.
- Refugees, people with subsidiary protection or permission to remain, and programme refugees have their own rules.
- People on temporary protection, and people still waiting for an asylum decision, can’t apply.
A 2026 Bill would put these rules, and a new habitual residence test, into law. Getting HAP can also affect a family reunification application.
Common mix-ups
Common questions
How much deposit can a landlord ask for in Ireland?
No more than one month's rent. A landlord also can't ask for more than one month's rent in advance, including any advance payment for bills or service charges. So the most you can be asked for to secure a tenancy is two months' rent.
How do I avoid a rental scam?
Gardaí advise seeing the property first, meeting the landlord there and checking they own it or can rent it. Ask for photo ID, pay the landlord rather than the people leaving or a courier, check the keys work and sign the agreement before you pay, and keep receipts.
How much can my rent go up?
Since 1 March 2026, once a year at most, by 2% or the rate of inflation if that's lower, everywhere in Ireland. Your landlord must give you 90 days' notice of a rent review.
Does my landlord have to register my tenancy?
Yes, with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), within one month of the tenancy starting and every year after. You get a letter with an RT number, which you need for the Rent Tax Credit.
Can I claim tax back on my rent?
Yes, through the Rent Tax Credit: 20% of the rent you pay, up to €1,000 a year, or €2,000 for a couple taxed jointly. Claim it in myAccount during the year. It only reduces income tax, and isn't available if you get HAP or Rent Supplement.
Can I get HAP as a non-Irish national?
Only if you qualify for social housing support, which needs a long-term right to live here. Most non-EU nationals need at least 5 years' lawful residence in the last 8; refugees and people with permission to remain have different rules. People on temporary protection can't apply.
How much notice do I give to leave?
In writing, signed and dated: 28 days in your first 6 months, rising to 35 days up to a year, 42 days up to 2 years, and up to 112 days after 8 years.
Sources
All sources checked on 5 Oct 2026.
- Security depositsResidential Tenancies Board
- What breaches can we enforce (deposits, advance payments, registration)Residential Tenancies Board
- Rental law changes from 1 March 2026Residential Tenancies Board
- Tenant checklistResidential Tenancies Board
- How a tenant can end a tenancyResidential Tenancies Board
- I believe I am the victim of rental fraudAn Garda Síochána
- Rent Tax CreditRevenue
- New Bill to bring greater clarity on eligibility for social housingDepartment of Housing, Local Government and Heritage