Student Tenancy Rights & Scams 2027

What's not published yet

Figures are as of 1 Oct 2026, before Budget 2027 (6 Oct). They will be updated after the Budget.

CAO has published its 2027 dates sheet. The 2027 Leaving Cert results date and the Round One date are not on it yet.

Budget 2027 is on Tuesday 6 October 2026 (Citizens Information). Rules below are as published before it; recheck after.

Which rules apply to you

Arrangement	RTB covers it?	Key points
Student-specific accommodation (SSA): college residences and purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA)	Yes, tenancies and licences	RTB: "SSA is housing that is used for the sole purpose of providing residential accommodation to students during the academic term or year." All SSA tenancies and licences fall under the RTB, whether from colleges, universities or private companies. Landlord must register with the RTB.
Private flat or house share	Yes	Ordinary residential tenancy, registered with the RTB. If it is let solely to students for the academic term or year, it may be SSA.
Digs / Rent-a-Room (landlord lives in the same building)	No	A licence, not a tenancy. The RTB states such arrangements are outside its remit and need no registration where the landlord is an individual.
Self-contained flat in the landlord's home	Yes	Citizens Information: full tenancy protections apply and the landlord must register the tenancy.

What SSA and PBSA are exempt from and covered by

Covered by the RTB: deposit cap, advance-rent cap, registration, dispute resolution, rent rules (below), minimum standards for private rented housing.
Exempt: security of tenure. Citizens Information: "Security of tenure rights do not apply to tenants in student-specific accommodation even though other parts of residential tenancies legislation covers these tenancies." So the new 6-year Tenancy of Minimum Duration described below does not give SSA tenants a right to stay.
No subletting or assignment in SSA (RTB landlord guide).
Students cannot be forced to pay for SSA over the summer when they do not need it (Citizens Information).

SSA rules (RTB)

Deposit: no more than 1 month's rent.
Advance rent: no more than 1 month's rent. Exception: a student who pays rent and tuition to the same provider and agrees to do so. Combined maximum to secure the place: 2 months' rent.
Length: "Your tenancy or licence arrangement should not be more than 41 weeks, unless you ask for longer."
Leaving: a student can end a fixed-term SSA tenancy "at any time between 1 May and 1 October for any reason by serving a valid 28 day Notice of Termination". Outside that window, only for a landlord breach or a reason the agreement allows. A student in SSA needs to give 28 days' notice when ending a tenancy (Citizens Information).
Landlord ending an SSA tenancy (notice): under 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: 28 days after a warning for breach of tenant duties, 7 days for serious anti-social behaviour, 28 days for unpaid rent after an arrears notice.
Registration: within one month of the start, then every year on the anniversary. Fee EUR 40 a year for a private, student-specific or cost rental tenancy (Citizens Information); late fee EUR 10 a month for private tenancies. Tenants can report an unregistered tenancy to the RTB. Tenants of unregistered landlords can still use RTB dispute resolution; landlords cannot.
Penalties: Citizens Information lists a fine of up to EUR 5,000 and/or up to 12 months' imprisonment, plus EUR 1,000 a day, for failing to register, and a EUR 100 fixed payment notice from September 2026. The RTB landlord guide says landlords breaching obligations can be sanctioned with a fine of up to EUR 15,000 plus costs up to EUR 15,000.

National rent rules from 1 March 2026 (replacing Rent Pressure Zones)

RTB: "From 1 March 2026, Rent Pressure Zones are replaced by a national system of rent control." It applies to private and student-specific tenancies.

Rent increases: "Rent can only be increased once per year by 2% or by inflation if that's lower." Inflation is measured by CPI.
New apartments and new SSA: where construction commenced from 10 June 2025, increases can follow CPI "even if this is higher than 2%"; no 2% cap.
Market rent re-set, private tenancies: only when a new tenancy begins (with exceptions) or at the end of a 6-year cycle. For tenancies created before 1 March 2026 the RTB says re-setting to market rent is not allowed during the ongoing tenancy.
New lets: a new tenancy can start at a market rent, subject to the exceptions on the RTB page; once set, the 2% or CPI cap applies to annual increases.
SSA market re-set: SSA landlords cannot re-set to market rent before 1 March 2029 for a property with an existing SSA tenancy in the last two years; from 1 March 2029 they can re-set once every 3 years.
Old RPZ wording: RTB's private rent page still says that in areas recently designated as RPZs, "the rent cannot be reviewed until 24 months after the date the rent was last set or reviewed for the tenancy". Read the current RTB page for how this applies to a specific tenancy.
Existing tenancies: Citizens Information: tenancies created before 1 March 2026 are not affected by the new tenancy-duration rules.

Tenancy length: Tenancy of Minimum Duration (private tenancies)

Citizens Information: "From 1 March 2026, all new tenancies become tenancies of minimum duration (TMD). A tenancy of minimum duration will last for 6 years." It applies after 6 months without a valid termination notice. The RTB describes a 6-year cycle; none of the RTB or Citizens Information pages read mention a 4-year cycle, so none is stated here.
A larger landlord has 4 or more tenancies; a smaller landlord has 3 or fewer. Larger landlords may end a TMD only where tenants are not meeting their obligations or the property is no longer suitable. After the 6-year period, smaller landlords can end a tenancy for sale, substantial refurbishment, family or personal occupation, or a change of use.
Security of tenure does not apply to SSA, so a student licence or tenancy in college or purpose-built accommodation ends when the agreement ends.
Notice by a tenant (general tenancies; Citizens Information): under 6 months 4 weeks; 6 months to 1 year 5 weeks; 1-2 years 6 weeks; 2-4 years 8 weeks; 4-8 years 12 weeks; 8+ years 16 weeks.

Licence versus tenancy

Tenancy (incl. SSA): RTB registration, rent book, minimum standards, RTB dispute resolution.
Licence in the landlord's own home (digs): "Residential tenancies legislation does not apply." No rent book requirement; minimum standards not required unless you receive HAP; no RTB dispute service; no registration; the landlord can end it with "reasonable notice"; Small Claims Court for deposit or damage disputes (Citizens Information). A college residence licence is different: it is SSA and covered by the RTB.

Deposits

Cap: "A landlord cannot ask for a deposit that is more than one month's rent." Citizens Information: no more than 2 months' rent upfront (deposit plus one month in advance) for tenancies created from 9 August 2021.
Both parties should get a signed and dated receipt.
Return: "as soon as possible when the tenancy ends, unless the landlord has a legal reason to keep it." Deductions allowed for rent arrears, unpaid utility bills the tenant is responsible for, damage beyond normal wear and tear, and insufficient notice of termination.
The RTB deposit page does not mention a statutory deposit protection scheme.
Tenants are entitled to a rent book (Citizens Information).

Minimum standards

Private rented housing must meet the 2019 Regulations (Citizens Information): free of damp and structurally sound, safety restrictors on windows above a certain height, fire blanket and fire detection and alarm system, carbon monoxide alarm, and more. Local authorities enforce, through improvement and prohibition notices. They do not apply to local authority or approved-housing-body homes, tenancies of at least 10 years, or HSE/AHB communal housing.

Disputes (RTB)

Self-resolution.
Mediation: free, phone-based, legally binding agreement.
Adjudication: EUR 30; binding. Average time to resolve a case in 2025 was 20 weeks. Deadlines: rent increase, before it takes effect or within 28 days of the notice; termination, within 90 days of the notice if you met your obligations or within 28 days if you did not; dispute about a deposit, within 28 days of the tenancy ending.
Tribunal: if either side disputes a mediation or adjudication outcome. Apply within 10 working days to appeal an adjudicator's decision.

RTB phone: 0818 30 30 37, 0818 30 30 43 or 01 702 8100, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. Report an unregistered tenancy or breach through the RTB's online form or complaint form (Citizens Information).

Scams

Garda, latest age figure found on garda.ie (August 2025 release): "34% of victims of accommodation fraud are under 25, and 66% of victims are under 33 years"; 54% male and 46% female. Reports in the first six months of 2025 were up 22% with about 160 cases, and losses of EUR 385,000 compared with EUR 617,000 for the full year of 2024. "Approximately one third of all accommodation fraud reports occur during August - September each year." The same 34% and 66% figures appear in the August 2024 release. These are accommodation-fraud victims generally, not only students.
Older Garda figure (August 2023 release): "Over 50% of victims of accommodation fraud are aged under 25"; about EUR 2 million stolen 2019 to 2023; about 50% of incidents in Dublin. Do not use this as the current figure.
Garda August 2024 advice and case data: 12 victims reported in July 2024 lost EUR 20,746 in total; at least 8 of the 12 cases involved social media or online adverts or contacts. The Garda has not, on the pages read, published a 2026 figure; none is stated here.
Threshold Scamwatch 2026 toolkit (6 May 2026, with ICOS and AMLE): three rules: inspect the property in person and photograph the landlord's ID before paying; use secure payment methods and a written contract; trust your instinct and seek help. Freephone 1800 454 454 (international +353 91 563080). Spanish and Portuguese versions exist.
Letting agents: ask to see the PSRA licence, a credit card-sized document with name, photograph and "a unique PSRA licence number - a 6 or 12 digit code that always begins with double zero". Check it on the PSRA Register at psr.ie. PSRA freephone 1800 252 712, phone 046 903 3800.
If you paid, contact your bank and your local Garda station (Garda and Threshold advice).

Official sources

National accommodation guides

Campus accommodation guides

Last verified 1 Oct 2026 · data year rules in force from 1 March 2026; Garda figures August 2025 and earlier as labelled Report an error

What's not published yet

Figures are as of 1 Oct 2026, before Budget 2027 (6 Oct). They will be updated after the Budget.

CAO has published its 2027 dates sheet. The 2027 Leaving Cert results date and the Round One date are not on it yet.

Budget 2027 is on Tuesday 6 October 2026 (Citizens Information). Rules below are as published before it; recheck after.

Which rules apply to you

Arrangement	RTB covers it?	Key points
Student-specific accommodation (SSA): college residences and purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA)	Yes, tenancies and licences	RTB: "SSA is housing that is used for the sole purpose of providing residential accommodation to students during the academic term or year." All SSA tenancies and licences fall under the RTB, whether from colleges, universities or private companies. Landlord must register with the RTB.
Private flat or house share	Yes	Ordinary residential tenancy, registered with the RTB. If it is let solely to students for the academic term or year, it may be SSA.
Digs / Rent-a-Room (landlord lives in the same building)	No	A licence, not a tenancy. The RTB states such arrangements are outside its remit and need no registration where the landlord is an individual.
Self-contained flat in the landlord's home	Yes	Citizens Information: full tenancy protections apply and the landlord must register the tenancy.

What SSA and PBSA are exempt from and covered by

Covered by the RTB: deposit cap, advance-rent cap, registration, dispute resolution, rent rules (below), minimum standards for private rented housing.
Exempt: security of tenure. Citizens Information: "Security of tenure rights do not apply to tenants in student-specific accommodation even though other parts of residential tenancies legislation covers these tenancies." So the new 6-year Tenancy of Minimum Duration described below does not give SSA tenants a right to stay.
No subletting or assignment in SSA (RTB landlord guide).
Students cannot be forced to pay for SSA over the summer when they do not need it (Citizens Information).

SSA rules (RTB)

Deposit: no more than 1 month's rent.
Advance rent: no more than 1 month's rent. Exception: a student who pays rent and tuition to the same provider and agrees to do so. Combined maximum to secure the place: 2 months' rent.
Length: "Your tenancy or licence arrangement should not be more than 41 weeks, unless you ask for longer."
Leaving: a student can end a fixed-term SSA tenancy "at any time between 1 May and 1 October for any reason by serving a valid 28 day Notice of Termination". Outside that window, only for a landlord breach or a reason the agreement allows. A student in SSA needs to give 28 days' notice when ending a tenancy (Citizens Information).
Landlord ending an SSA tenancy (notice): under 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: 28 days after a warning for breach of tenant duties, 7 days for serious anti-social behaviour, 28 days for unpaid rent after an arrears notice.
Registration: within one month of the start, then every year on the anniversary. Fee EUR 40 a year for a private, student-specific or cost rental tenancy (Citizens Information); late fee EUR 10 a month for private tenancies. Tenants can report an unregistered tenancy to the RTB. Tenants of unregistered landlords can still use RTB dispute resolution; landlords cannot.
Penalties: Citizens Information lists a fine of up to EUR 5,000 and/or up to 12 months' imprisonment, plus EUR 1,000 a day, for failing to register, and a EUR 100 fixed payment notice from September 2026. The RTB landlord guide says landlords breaching obligations can be sanctioned with a fine of up to EUR 15,000 plus costs up to EUR 15,000.

National rent rules from 1 March 2026 (replacing Rent Pressure Zones)

RTB: "From 1 March 2026, Rent Pressure Zones are replaced by a national system of rent control." It applies to private and student-specific tenancies.

Rent increases: "Rent can only be increased once per year by 2% or by inflation if that's lower." Inflation is measured by CPI.
New apartments and new SSA: where construction commenced from 10 June 2025, increases can follow CPI "even if this is higher than 2%"; no 2% cap.
Market rent re-set, private tenancies: only when a new tenancy begins (with exceptions) or at the end of a 6-year cycle. For tenancies created before 1 March 2026 the RTB says re-setting to market rent is not allowed during the ongoing tenancy.
New lets: a new tenancy can start at a market rent, subject to the exceptions on the RTB page; once set, the 2% or CPI cap applies to annual increases.
SSA market re-set: SSA landlords cannot re-set to market rent before 1 March 2029 for a property with an existing SSA tenancy in the last two years; from 1 March 2029 they can re-set once every 3 years.
Old RPZ wording: RTB's private rent page still says that in areas recently designated as RPZs, "the rent cannot be reviewed until 24 months after the date the rent was last set or reviewed for the tenancy". Read the current RTB page for how this applies to a specific tenancy.
Existing tenancies: Citizens Information: tenancies created before 1 March 2026 are not affected by the new tenancy-duration rules.

Tenancy length: Tenancy of Minimum Duration (private tenancies)

Citizens Information: "From 1 March 2026, all new tenancies become tenancies of minimum duration (TMD). A tenancy of minimum duration will last for 6 years." It applies after 6 months without a valid termination notice. The RTB describes a 6-year cycle; none of the RTB or Citizens Information pages read mention a 4-year cycle, so none is stated here.
A larger landlord has 4 or more tenancies; a smaller landlord has 3 or fewer. Larger landlords may end a TMD only where tenants are not meeting their obligations or the property is no longer suitable. After the 6-year period, smaller landlords can end a tenancy for sale, substantial refurbishment, family or personal occupation, or a change of use.
Security of tenure does not apply to SSA, so a student licence or tenancy in college or purpose-built accommodation ends when the agreement ends.
Notice by a tenant (general tenancies; Citizens Information): under 6 months 4 weeks; 6 months to 1 year 5 weeks; 1-2 years 6 weeks; 2-4 years 8 weeks; 4-8 years 12 weeks; 8+ years 16 weeks.

Licence versus tenancy

Tenancy (incl. SSA): RTB registration, rent book, minimum standards, RTB dispute resolution.
Licence in the landlord's own home (digs): "Residential tenancies legislation does not apply." No rent book requirement; minimum standards not required unless you receive HAP; no RTB dispute service; no registration; the landlord can end it with "reasonable notice"; Small Claims Court for deposit or damage disputes (Citizens Information). A college residence licence is different: it is SSA and covered by the RTB.

Deposits

Cap: "A landlord cannot ask for a deposit that is more than one month's rent." Citizens Information: no more than 2 months' rent upfront (deposit plus one month in advance) for tenancies created from 9 August 2021.
Both parties should get a signed and dated receipt.
Return: "as soon as possible when the tenancy ends, unless the landlord has a legal reason to keep it." Deductions allowed for rent arrears, unpaid utility bills the tenant is responsible for, damage beyond normal wear and tear, and insufficient notice of termination.
The RTB deposit page does not mention a statutory deposit protection scheme.
Tenants are entitled to a rent book (Citizens Information).

Minimum standards

Disputes (RTB)

Self-resolution.
Mediation: free, phone-based, legally binding agreement.
Adjudication: EUR 30; binding. Average time to resolve a case in 2025 was 20 weeks. Deadlines: rent increase, before it takes effect or within 28 days of the notice; termination, within 90 days of the notice if you met your obligations or within 28 days if you did not; dispute about a deposit, within 28 days of the tenancy ending.
Tribunal: if either side disputes a mediation or adjudication outcome. Apply within 10 working days to appeal an adjudicator's decision.

RTB phone: 0818 30 30 37, 0818 30 30 43 or 01 702 8100, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. Report an unregistered tenancy or breach through the RTB's online form or complaint form (Citizens Information).

Scams

Garda, latest age figure found on garda.ie (August 2025 release): "34% of victims of accommodation fraud are under 25, and 66% of victims are under 33 years"; 54% male and 46% female. Reports in the first six months of 2025 were up 22% with about 160 cases, and losses of EUR 385,000 compared with EUR 617,000 for the full year of 2024. "Approximately one third of all accommodation fraud reports occur during August - September each year." The same 34% and 66% figures appear in the August 2024 release. These are accommodation-fraud victims generally, not only students.
Older Garda figure (August 2023 release): "Over 50% of victims of accommodation fraud are aged under 25"; about EUR 2 million stolen 2019 to 2023; about 50% of incidents in Dublin. Do not use this as the current figure.
Garda August 2024 advice and case data: 12 victims reported in July 2024 lost EUR 20,746 in total; at least 8 of the 12 cases involved social media or online adverts or contacts. The Garda has not, on the pages read, published a 2026 figure; none is stated here.
Threshold Scamwatch 2026 toolkit (6 May 2026, with ICOS and AMLE): three rules: inspect the property in person and photograph the landlord's ID before paying; use secure payment methods and a written contract; trust your instinct and seek help. Freephone 1800 454 454 (international +353 91 563080). Spanish and Portuguese versions exist.
Letting agents: ask to see the PSRA licence, a credit card-sized document with name, photograph and "a unique PSRA licence number - a 6 or 12 digit code that always begins with double zero". Check it on the PSRA Register at psr.ie. PSRA freephone 1800 252 712, phone 046 903 3800.
If you paid, contact your bank and your local Garda station (Garda and Threshold advice).

Official sources

National accommodation guides

Campus accommodation guides

Last verified 1 Oct 2026 · data year rules in force from 1 March 2026; Garda figures August 2025 and earlier as labelled Report an error

Tenancy rights and scams

What's not published yet

Which rules apply to you

What SSA and PBSA are exempt from and covered by

SSA rules (RTB)

National rent rules from 1 March 2026 (replacing Rent Pressure Zones)

Tenancy length: Tenancy of Minimum Duration (private tenancies)

Licence versus tenancy

Deposits

Minimum standards

Disputes (RTB)

Scams

Official sources

National accommodation guides

Campus accommodation guides

Tenancy rights and scams

What's not published yet

Which rules apply to you

What SSA and PBSA are exempt from and covered by

SSA rules (RTB)

National rent rules from 1 March 2026 (replacing Rent Pressure Zones)

Tenancy length: Tenancy of Minimum Duration (private tenancies)

Licence versus tenancy

Deposits

Minimum standards

Disputes (RTB)

Scams

Official sources

National accommodation guides

Campus accommodation guides