THE STANDARDISED AVERAGE rent for new tenancies in Ireland rose once again in the first quarter of 2025 by 5.5% to €1,696.

It also increased by 4.4% for existing tenancies to an average of €1,452, according to the Residential Tenancy Board Director’s quarterly update. 

Rental inflation wasn’t at the same rate region to region, however. 

Dublin actually saw it’s lowest new tenancy growth rate since 2022 (with an increase of 3.3% in the first quarter of this year) while Donegal, Kerry, Kildare, Laois, Limerick, Monaghan, Roscommon and Tipperary all had growth rates of over 10%. 

Donegal, Kerry, Laois, Monaghan and Tipperary have now had eight quarters of high new tenancy rent increases. 

The RTB said that following the national extension of Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) in these counties, it will now “target education and outreach activities in these counties”. 

The RTB found that the average rent for sitting tenants is €244 lower than what new tenants are currently paying. 

Findings for 2025 Q2

In the second quarter of 2025, landlords with 100+ tenancies provided 13.9% of all registered private tenancies, and approved housing body registered tenancies grew by 11.7% to 52,989. 

The number of landlords associated with registered private tenancies fell by 398 from the previous quarter. 

The RTB received 4,728 notices of termination in Q2 2025, which represented an increase of 17.2% on that time period in the previous year, and a 0.7% increase compared to the previous quarter. 

The RTB issued 3,357 compliance notices for failure to register in the first two quarters of this year. 

Only 1,376 tenancies have registered as a result of that action, and the RTB has said that it has “enforcement ongoing” in relation to the tenancies that did not register. 

The RTB approced 249 investigations under its investigation and sanction civil process in Q1 and Q2 2025. That figure is up compared to the 124 investigations that it commenced in 2024. 

Rosemary Steen the Director of the RTB said that the RTB is calling on landlords in all new Rent Pressure Zone areas to ensure that they are informed and compliant with the new rules that apply to them. 

Dr Rachel Slaymaker, ESRI Research Officer, said: ““National new tenancy rental inflation remained steady at 5.5 per cent year-on-year in Q1 2025. Regional trends however tell a more complex story, with Dublin seeing a continued slowdown in the pace of growth, while eight counties experienced double-digit growth in new tenancy rents.”