Rents across Ireland surged in the first months of 2026 following the introduction of the Government’s new rental reforms, with new figures from property website Daft.ie showing the sharpest quarterly increase in advertised rents since records began more than two decades ago.
According to the latest report, advertised rents nationwide rose by 4.4% between December and March, marking the largest quarterly jump recorded by the platform since 2002. Average market rents are now more than one-third higher than pre-pandemic levels and almost 80% above where they stood a decade ago.
The report also found that rental availability has improved compared with both three months ago and the same period last year, although analysts warned the increase may only be temporary.
Professor Ronan Lyons, who authored the report, said landlords may have delayed listing properties until the revised rental rules came into effect on 1 March.
“The delay between announcing, in June 2025, and introducing, in March 2026, the new rent control rules appears to have prompted some landlords to delay listing properties until the new regime came into force,” he said.
The Government’s reforms, unveiled last year, were introduced with the stated aim of strengthening tenant protections while encouraging greater rental supply. Opposition parties, however, argued the changes could push rents significantly higher and contribute to further homelessness through increased evictions.
Under the new rules, all tenancies beginning from 1 March must last for a minimum of six years. Landlords are permitted to increase rents by no more than 2% annually during a tenancy, but can reset rents to market levels once the six-year term expires.
The legislation also prohibits large landlords — defined as those with four or more tenancies — from carrying out no-fault evictions for new tenancies established after March.
Smaller landlords can still terminate tenancies without fault under limited conditions, including financial hardship or where a family member intends to occupy the property. However, landlords using these provisions cannot reset rents until the six-year tenancy period ends.
The report estimated that the average market rent for a two-bedroom apartment now stands at €2,100 per month.
Regional figures showed some of the strongest annual rent increases occurred outside Dublin. Market rents in Galway city were 18% higher than a year earlier, while rents rose by 13% in Cork, 10% in Limerick and 8% in Waterford. In Dublin, rents increased by 6.9% year-on-year by March.
Nationwide, 2,374 homes were available to rent on 1 May. While that represents an improvement in supply, Daft.ie said availability remains substantially below pre-pandemic norms, when roughly 4,000 homes were typically on the market at any given time.
Since January, more than 10,600 rental properties were listed between February and April, an increase of 13% compared with the same period last year. However, analysts noted that the rebound only partially offsets the earlier decline in listings.
Professor Lyons said the latest figures point to a significant shift in rental pricing following the reforms.
“The first data following the introduction of new rent controls show a sharp increase in rents, alongside a more modest and potentially temporary increase in rental availability,” he said.
“The ability to reset rents between tenancies appears to have led to a step-change in rents, with the largest quarterly increase in rents on record.”
He added that while more properties have recently appeared on the market, the increase may reflect timing rather than any long-term expansion in housing supply.
“The rebound in listings is smaller than the earlier fall, and availability remains far below what would be considered normal,” he said.
The report also highlighted declining availability in the room-rental market, with the number of rooms available nationwide falling by more than 20% over the past year and by almost one-third in Dublin.
Professor Lyons said any lasting improvement in affordability would depend on whether the reforms ultimately stimulate the construction of new rental housing.
“The goal of changing the rules, to increase the supply of rental homes and thereby improve affordability for tenants, depends on whether new rental housing is built,” he said.
“As the construction of new homes takes years, rather than months, it will be some time before the ultimate impact of the rules can be assessed.”
