Looking for the RPZ calculator? Rent Pressure Zones ended on 1 March 2026

What changed

Until 1 March 2026 rent increases were capped only inside designated Rent Pressure Zones, at 4% a year, with a list of exemptions and a map of which areas qualified. Outside a zone there was effectively no cap.

That structure is gone. One national rule now applies to every tenancy in the State, whether the dwelling is in Dublin 2 or rural Leitrim. There is no longer a zone to check, and no longer a 4% figure.

What applies instead

The maximum increase between one rent setting and the next is the lower of two numbers: the change in the Consumer Price Index over the period, and an annualised 2%.

• Max rate = min(ΔCPI, 2% × days ÷ 365)
• If the index has fallen, the maximum increase is 0% — you may not raise the rent, and you are not obliged to lower it
• The rent may still only be set once every 12 months (24 for a dwelling that entered an RPZ in the two years before 1 March 2026 and has not been reviewed since)
• A Notice of Rent Review must still be served at least 90 days before the new rent takes effect

Why the old calculators give you the wrong answer

A 4% RPZ calculator will overstate what you may charge, in most periods by roughly double. Serving a notice based on that figure produces an unenforceable rent review, and the RTB can impose sanctions of up to €15,000 for improper conduct.

It also gets the timing wrong: the annualised 2% cap depends on the exact number of days since the rent was last set, so the answer changes depending on when the new rent takes effect. A flat percentage cannot express that.

What about the old RPZ exemptions?

The exemptions that applied inside Rent Pressure Zones — substantial refurbishment, first letting in two years — belonged to the RPZ regime and went with it. If you are relying on one, take advice before serving a notice: the safest assumption is that the national cap applies to you.

Questions

Is my property still in a Rent Pressure Zone?

No property is. Rent Pressure Zones were abolished on 1 March 2026 and replaced with a single national rent control that applies everywhere in Ireland.

Can I still increase the rent by 4%?

Only if the CPI change and the annualised 2% cap both happen to allow it, which over a normal 12-month period they do not. The 4% RPZ figure has no legal effect any more.

Do the RPZ exemptions still work?

The RPZ exemptions went with the RPZ regime. Do not rely on one without advice.