Renters may pay extra €249 a month under proposed changes, says Sinn Féin

Ó Broin warns rents will soar, particularly beyond Dublin.

Major reformation in the private rental sector are en route next month due to the Governments Residential Tenancies Bill.

Figures suggest that rented houses nationwide and apartments outside Dublin will face the biggest impact, beginning with tenancies taken on or after March 1.

Existing tenants will not be affected.

Despite the Government stating that the Bill will strengthen renters rights, Sinn Féin has claimed that renters taking up tenancies from next month will pay an average of 16.8 percent, or an average of €249, extra on their rent by the end of 2026.

The party’s housing spokesperson, Eoin Ó Broin, warned that calculations may see this particularly affect rented premises outside Dublin.

The Residential Tenancies Bill uses figures from the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB), which tracks rent prices.

In 2025, rents for new tenants were on average 16.7 percent higher than that of existing tenants as they were protected by Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ) rules which limit rent increases to 2 percent, however, under the reformed law, once a tenant leaves, landlords can raise the rent to the current market rate.

Ó Broin highlighted the Bill’s plan to bring in a 'market reset', saying this could significantly increase the risk of higher costs for tenants.

Speaking to The Journal, he said 'this is the key thing'.

“The outgoing RPZ rules didn’t just constrain rent increases within existing tenancies but also between tenancies.”

He added that the incoming changes will result in 'even higher rip-off rent' and 'significant increases' in homelessness for those on modest incomes.

The Government has stated that the Bill will strengthen renters’ rights as rents can only be reset every six years or when a tenancy ends.

They have also argued that the changes will attract investment and keep housing supply up.