- Rent Index data highlights concerning trends in Galway.
- 36 sanctions published against landlords today with a value of €102,490.
- Registered landlord and tenancy numbers up year-on-year but fall marginally from Q4 2024.
- Fexco to run RTB’s outsourced customer service centre in Kerry in new 4-year partnership.
- New online Dispute Resolution Centre pilot will go live in May using ServiceNow technology.
15 May 2025: The Residential Tenancies Board has released its Director’s Quarterly Update for Q2 2025. The update shares the latest data on Ireland’s rental sector and details of RTB actions to drive compliance with rental law. The RTB has also announced two new initiatives to improve customer experience. They include a new four-year partnership with Fexco to manage the RTB’s outsourced customer service centre from July 2025, and the release of a pilot of its new online Dispute Resolution Centre for final testing in May.
Rental sector data
The information shared today draws on RTB tenancy registration and administrative data to provide the most complete view on the state of Ireland’s rental sector.
- RTB / ESRI Rent Index to Q4 2024: The standardised average rent for new tenancies nationally rose by 5.5% year-on-year to €1,680 in Q4 2024. It rose by 4.6% year-on-year for existing tenancies nationally to €1,440 in Q4 2024. This marks a moderation on the rates of rental inflation seen earlier in 2024. However, new tenancy price rises remain persistently high in certain counties. After eight consecutive quarters of high growth in new tenancy rent levels in Galway, the RTB will engage directly with renters, landlords and other rental sector stakeholders in the county this June to investigate this trend further. The RTB will also host a forum to address rental law compliance.
- Tullow and Castlebar Local Electoral Areas (LEAs) have met the criteria for designation as a Rent Pressure Zone by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
RTB Profile of the Register data to Q1 2025: Registered private tenancies rose by 4.6% annually to 240,604 in Q1 2025 but fell by 360 tenancies or 0.15% from Q4 2024. Landlords associated with registered private tenancies increased by 1.4% annually to 104,470 in Q1 2025 but fell by 1,124 landlords or 1% from Q4 2024. Approved Housing Body registered tenancies grew by 11% annually to 51,230 in Q1 2025.
- Student-specific accommodation (SSA) and cost rental tenancies in 2024: Registered student-specific accommodation tenancies rose by 8.4% annually to 36,521 in 2024. Registered cost rental tenancies rose by 185% annually to 2,414 in 2024.
- RTB Notice of Termination data: The RTB received 4,693 Notices of Termination in Q1 2025. This is a decrease of 2.4% from Q1 2024.
- RTB Compliance and Enforcement data: The RTB has published 36 sanctions against landlords today with a total value of €102,490 for serious breaches of rental law.
New customer experience announcements
- New customer service partnership: The RTB has announced a new four-year partnership with Fexco to run the RTB’s outsourced customer service centre from July 2025. Fexco is an Irish-owned leading provider of financial and business services. It is headquartered in Killorglin, Co. Kerry and employs 1,000 staff in Ireland. Fexco was appointed following a public tender process in accordance with Government of Ireland procurement rules. Improving the quality of customer service was a core priority for the RTB when selecting a new customer service partner. The maximum projected spend under the contract is €21 million over four years. The customer service centre provides advice and services to an average of 350,000 customers annually.
- New online Dispute Resolution Centre pilot using ServiceNow technology: The RTB has announced it will release a pilot of its new online Dispute Resolution Centre for final testing by stakeholders in May. The RTB has configured the ServiceNow platform, in collaboration with Crossfuze, to enable quicker and more cost-effective project delivery than pursuing a bespoke solution under its RTB360 system. The first phase of the platform will be delivered within one year. The new platform will enable RTB customers to apply, pay for and manage their dispute case online. This will allow for faster case processing and improved communication with the RTB on dispute cases.
Speaking on the quarterly update, Rosemary Steen, Director of the RTB said:
“Our update today highlights our ongoing commitment to driving compliance with rental law. The new Rent Index data has flagged unusual patterns of rental inflation in Galway that we are engaging directly with stakeholders in the county to address. Our Compliance and Enforcement team also continues to pursue high-risk offenders through in-depth investigations that yielded €102,490 in sanctions published today.”
“We also shared two positive announcements that will improve the RTB customer experience. We look forward to working with Fexco as a leading Irish company over the next four years to enhance the quality of our customer service interactions. The launch of our online Dispute Resolution Centre pilot for final testing is also an important new chapter in our ability to deliver IT solutions to improve RTB customer experience. Our choice to configure an existing global platform instead of developing a bespoke solution has enabled us to deliver this project in the fastest and most cost-effective way.”
Dr Rachel Slaymaker, Research Officer with the ESRI said:
“Nationally, the Rent Index shows average rents continue to rise for new and existing tenancies, but the data for the final quarter of 2024 show a clear moderation in the rate of rental price inflation throughout 2024. Despite falling rental inflation for new tenancies nationally though, price rises do remain persistently high in certain counties.”
Martin Ryan, Managing Director of Fexco Managed and Advisory Services said:
“The role of the RTB is a critical national service and Fexco is incredibly proud to be partnering with the RTB in delivering their customer service centre. In Fexco, we do work that contributes to a better society and we are excited about the opportunity to support the RTB in strengthening the residential tenancy sector in Ireland.”