Housing — Legislation — Policy

UNITED WE BARGAIN

The Irish government is introducing new regulations that will affect renters and landlords across the country. Most new leases or tenancies that begin from 1 March onwards will have additional protections from eviction for tenants, but the change will also give landlords new ways of being able to increase the rent on their properties. Chris Rooke spoke to a number of housing activists to gauge what impact the regulations will have on queer renters.

While the latest updates to Ireland’s housing laws will affect renters throughout Ireland, they will impact a larger proportion of the LGBTQ+ community than the rest of the population. The 2022 Census found that around 18 per cent of the general population lived in private rented accommodation, however, Outhouse’s recent ‘Pride and Poverty’ research, published in February this year, reported that 41.6 per cent of respondents lived in private rented or student accommodation. This means that, when it comes to rental policy, more than twice the proportion of LGBTQ+ people are affected by the new measures compared to the public at large.

The first set of changes being introduced relates to the length of tenancies and the reasons they can be ended. For tenancies that began since June 2022, after six months, they would become a ‘tenancy of unlimited duration’. This limited the reasons that a landlord could end the tenancy from that point. The 2026 Bill will change this so that after six months, new tenancies become ‘tenancies of minimum duration’ (TMD) where those limits apply in six-year cycles, rather than for an unlimited time.

While that feels like a change that disadvantages tenants, new restrictions are also being placed on some landlords’ ability to end tenancies during that six-year period. Selling, renovating, or changing the use of their property is no longer a legitimate reason to end a tenancy during one of the six-year cycles.

Further restrictions are being introduced for a new category of ‘large landlords’. The distinction between large and small landlords is the number of tenancies they have: large landlords hold four or more; and small landlords have three or fewer.

For large landlords, the only acceptable reasons to end a TMD are if a tenant does not meet their obligations (most notably, failing to pay rent), or if the property becomes unsuitable or inaccessible due to a change in the tenant’s life (for example, expanding a family where there aren’t enough bedrooms).

Small landlords are able to end a tenancy at the end of a six-year cycle to sell or renovate their property, to change its use (for example, to become an office space), or to move themselves or a family member in. Additionally, small landlords can end a tenancy during the six-year period if they are able to prove they are ‘facing hardship’ that would require them to sell or move into the property.

The latest data, gathered in Q3 2025, from the Residential Tenancies Board shows that around 55 per cent of tenancies in Ireland are with landlords who will qualify as large landlords under the new terms. This suggests that around half of tenants beginning new tenancies from March may find themselves with better protections than they would have had before. New tenants whose landlords qualify as small landlords will see fewer upsides: they will have some extra protections from eviction in theory, but still a number of ways their tenancies can be ended. Tenants can continue to end their tenancy at any point and are not tied to the full six-year period.

These new restrictions could be useful for LGBTQ+ renters who find themselves with landlords who are homophobic or transphobic, as the security of their accommodation should not be able to be compromised as easily.

“We hope these protections will provide all tenants with a greater feeling of security in their tenancy. We hope this includes LGBTQ+ tenants,” says Cat Clark, Campaigns Officer at Threshold, a national charity that advocates for renters’ rights and provides free advice and support to renters facing housing difficulties. “However, we know harassment and discrimination is currently illegal and still takes place. I would encourage any tenant facing harassment from their landlord or letting agent to immediately get in touch with Threshold. Each case is unique, and our expert advisors can help provide tailored advice for each tenant’s situation.”

The second set of changes in the new legislation affects rent increases. Since December 2021, landlords in Rent Pressure Zones have only been able to raise the rent each year by two per cent or the rate of general inflation, whichever is lower. Last year, the entire country was deemed a Rent Pressure Zone, increasing the scope of those limits.

The new changes formalise this rule nationwide for all new tenancies, with the exception of newly built apartments and new student-specific accommodation. However, new allowances for landlords to reset the rent to the “market value” are also being introduced. If a tenant chooses to leave or doesn’t meet their obligations, if the property is no longer suitable for the tenant, or if a TMD ends after its six-year term, or after three years in student accommodation, the landlord will be able to raise the rent beyond the two per cent limit when beginning a new tenancy. As with all these rules, they apply only to tenancies that begin from March this year.

Allowing landlords to raise their rents to “market value” is what has attracted the most concern and criticism. Opposition TDs have spent debate time in the Dáil highlighting the impact that this could have, a concern shared by organisations working in the sector. Threshold found in their most recent survey that around 25 per cent of renters left their last rental tenancy voluntarily – a condition under which landlords could be able to raise their rental charges.

“[Threshold] is concerned that landlords being able to raise rent to market rate between tenancies may result in unintended consequences where renters end up paying high rents within three to four years,” explains Cat. “This means any security they felt in their home could be compromised.”

Azzy O’Connor, an outgoing national committee member at Community Action Tenants Union (CATU), agrees. “We believe the growth of institutional landlords and vulture funds, especially in Dublin, where they own entire apartment blocks and streets of homes, will be able to dramatically hike the rent between tenants based on the rents of surrounding properties. This essentially creates a monopoly on dictating the market rate.”

This is a particular concern for many LGTBQ+ renters, as Outhouse’s ‘Pride and Poverty’ research found that almost half of respondents paid more than €800 per month in housing costs. Many said that these costs ate up a large share of their income, causing financial stress and anxiety in other parts of their lives.

If rents continue to rise as a result of these legislative changes, those stresses are only going to become greater, ranging from causing larger health issues for individuals to forcing more people into emergency accommodation or homelessness. “A lot of queer people are in house shares, and that can create safety issues if housemates are more conservative or bigoted,” explains Miles de Wilde, a member of CATU’s LGBTQ+ Caucus. “It also impacts the social and dating lives for those sharing with strangers.”

This is particularly true in cases where moving home may not be an option: people who face discrimination from their family, immigrants, people living with disabilities, or those who are from low-income backgrounds where families are not in a position to support them would be disproportionately affected in such cases.

There are many issues that these new changes don’t address. They will do nothing to help people who are homeless, in emergency accommodation, or relying on friends to live with. They will not help LGBTQ+ people who feel they need to hide their identity from prospective landlords. They will also not help renters who live in poor conditions, such as overcrowding or with damp or mould, which may affect their health.

Instead, their main focus appears to be to entice small landlords to stay in the housing and rental market. It is a continuation of the current government’s insistence that the private market can resolve the housing crisis, thereby absolving itself of responsibility for providing dignified housing and living conditions for everyone in Ireland. This is despite the very real and tangible issues facing so many renters across the country, and with no evidence that private landlords have any will to address them in terms of supply, costing and rent levels, or living conditions.

Addressing these issues effectively requires two streams of solution. First, more data is needed on the experiences of LGBTQ+ renters.

“The research around housing issues impacting the queer community is completely lacking in Ireland,” says Azzy. “The last numbers we have are from 2020, and only for people aged 18-30 years,” adds Miles, “In that research by Focus Ireland, the numbers for 2020 show a larger amount of trans people having issues finding and maintaining housing, which is consistent with international findings.”

Secondly, new models for providing housing beyond the private market need to be explored.

Initiatives like Aisteach, a queer housing co-operative, offered new ideas for how safe and affordable housing can be provided to the community. More creativity and community-led organising to provide housing could offer alternatives to renters having to live at the whims of landlords.

For renters looking for a new home, Miles offers some advice. “Try looking for LGBTQ+ specific housing groups. Ask friends for tips or for linking you up with someone who is looking for a housemate. Ask your CATU branch what their experience is with this or that landlord, do some research. If you’re trans, this is especially valuable.”

For now, renters finding a new place to live should be aware of their rights and protections when entering into a tenancy agreement – and of the costs that may be coming their way in future. “The best tactic for insulating yourself from discrimination in housing is to educate yourself on your rights, collectivise issues and work with your neighbours and fellow tenants in a tenant union,” says Azzy. “Divided we beg, united we bargain.”

You can contact Threshold on 1 800 454 454, and you can find your local CATU branch on catuireland.org.