Eviction notices surge 35% as property owners rush to exit before new rules take effect
The government’s planned rent reforms face a major setback as small landlords exit the market in large numbers ahead of new regulations taking effect, triggering a wave of evictions and raising concerns that the measures may backfire before achieving their intended goals.
Eviction notices issued to tenants surged by 35 percent in the third quarter of this year, with 5,405 tenants told to vacate their homes. The notices are predominantly from small landlords selling properties or transferring them to family members as they attempt to leave the market before legal changes come into force in March 2026.
Housing Minister James Brown’s two-phase reform package includes rent increase controls from June 2025, making the entire country a rent pressure zone with annual increases for existing tenants capped at 2 percent or inflation, whichever is lower. From March 2026, small landlords with three or fewer properties will be required to offer minimum six-year tenancy agreements, with tenancies only ending in limited circumstances such as financial hardship or family need. Large landlords will effectively face an end to ‘no-fault’ evictions, while rents can only be reset after six years or if tenants voluntarily vacate.
Experts warn that the mass departure of small landlords before reforms take effect could reduce rental availability and drive rent increases, the opposite of the intended outcome. The Irish Property Owners Association has accused the new rules of being too onerous and overly restrictive, arguing they unfairly favor tenants at landlords’ expense.
Minister Brown has insisted there will be no backtracking on the reforms, stating the aim remains increasing supply and reducing rents. The government hopes larger institutional investors will fill the gap left by departing small landlords. The Rental Tenancies Board is preparing an information campaign to explain the new rules to landlords uncertain about the changes.
The crisis has sparked heated political debate in the Dáil. Sinn Féin accused the government of allowing rents to spiral out of control and reiterated calls for a three-year rent freeze. Tánaiste Simon Harris countered that RTB figures show 62 percent of properties saw no rent increases last year, adding that expanded rent pressure zones would provide greater tenant protection.
The Social Democrats said the changes have created massive uncertainty in the rental market and increased homelessness numbers. Of those seeking emergency accommodation, 50 percent are Irish nationals, 29.8 percent are from non-EEA countries, and 20 percent are UK/EEA nationals.
If small landlords continue exiting en masse, the reforms risk undermining their core objectives of stability and affordability before they even take effect, leaving thousands of tenants facing displacement in an already severely constrained rental market.