NEW LAWS ON Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) have been signed into law by the President, which effectively means that the entire country will become an RPZ from midnight tonight. 

The legislation was fast tracked by the government in an effort to change up the rental sector across the country. 

The major shift was announced by Housing Minister James Browne last week as part of plans to attract more private investment into the rental market, aiming to boost supply while also enhancing protections for renters.

The rules surrounding RPZs will now apply nationwide until February 2026, ahead of new rent controls coming in from 1 March. 

This is to prevent landlords from increasing rents in areas that are currently not protected in the interim period. 

Under the current system, over 80% of the country is already in an RPZ and subject to a 2% cap on rent increases or an increase in line with the rate of inflation, whichever is lower

However, increases in rents for new build-to-rent apartments will be linked to the rate of inflation. 

The RPZ system was introduced in 2016 to control rents for tenants in areas where there is a high demand for housing. Those regulations were due to expire in December of this year. 

Landlords in RPZ can be exempt from the rent cap if the property has not been rented for a period of two years or if it has undergone a “substantial change in the nature of the accommodation”. 

Previous to this new legislation coming to the fore, there was talk within Government about RPZs negatively impacting the level of private investment in housing developments. 

It’s hoped that the new regulations for new build-to-rent developments will encourage more investment. 

The Minister for Housing James Browne has said that the new system will give renters more protections, as legislative changes are also being made to tackle the prevalence of ‘no fault’ evictions.