THE NUMBER OF tenants being forced out of their homes has surged in the past year, the country’s rental regulator has revealed.

In the latest report from the Residential Tenancies Board, the number of evictions between April and June was 4,728, an increase of nearly 700 evictions on the same period last year.

Since July 2024, there has been a total of 17,122 evictions.

The quarterly report also found that those taking up new tenancies are paying an average of €244 more per month than those with existing tenancies.

Between April and June, some 2,698 (over half) of notices to quit were handed down to tenants because the landlord wanted to sell the property.

This is an increase of over 500 landlords selling up compared to the same period last year.

722 notices were also handed out due to the landlord or landlord’s family members intending to move into the property.

Among the 104,072 landlords, the majority (68,814) only had one tenancy registered.

Over 2,500 landlords had more than ten tenancies registered with the RTB, with 122 landlords presiding over 100 tenancies each, earning them a 27% share of the entire rental market in Ireland.

Nationwide, the average rental rate for a new tenancy has continued to steadily increase and is now at €1,696 according to the latest figures, compared with €1,452 for existing rentals.

Labour TD Conor Sheehan said the figures make for “grim but unsurprising reading”.

Sheehan, the party’s housing spokesperson, said that Labour has been “warning for months” that landlords would rush to sell before new rental rules come into effect in March.

Under upcoming government plans, new tenancies created from 1 March 2026 onwards will be set at market value and offered a six-year minimum rolling tenancy.

Landlords with four or more tenancies will also be banned from carrying out no-fault evictions for tenancies from March 2026.

“By delaying the changes until next March, as predicted, Government may have caused a run on landlords leaving the market,” Sheehan said.

“What we are seeing now is the reality of those warnings coming true – more families and individuals facing eviction, with little certainty about what will happen next.”

He added that the surge in landlords selling up “shows just how fragile our rental market has become”.

“Instead of tinkering around the edges, we need bold, urgent measures to protect renters and keep people in their homes,” Sheehan said.