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Annual Registration

Landlords Take Note. Annual tenancy registration came into effect on the 4th of April 2022.

This means that landlords must register their tenancy every year, within one month of the anniversary of when that tenancy began.

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From 4 April 2022, new legislation was introduced requiring landlords to register each of their tenancies with the RTB ever year. This must be completed within one month of the anniversary when the tenancy began.

Notice to customers - Late fees

In recognition of the genuine difficulties among its user community, the Residential Tenancies Board will be applying a temporary pause on the charging of late fees. This applies for the following tenancies:

new tenancy registrations with a tenancy commencement date on or after the 12 November 2022, and
for annual registrations of existing tenancies which became due on or after 12 November 2022.

Landlords and agents please take note of the below scenarios which may apply to your tenancy registrations:

Upcoming registrations: Any landlords/ agents who are registering a new tenancy registration with a tenancy commencement date on or after 12 November 2022 or are completing an annual registration of an existing tenancy which becomes due on or after 12 November 2022 will not be charged late fees.
Late registrations: Landlords/ agents who have yet to register a tenancy which was due for registration as a new tenancy registration with a tenancy commencement date on or after the 4 April 2022 or have yet to complete an annual registration of an existing tenancy which became due on or after 4 April 2022 up to 12 November 2022 will still be charged late fees. However, all late fees will be refunded in due course.
Tenancies already registered: Any landlords/agents who have already registered a new tenancy registration with a tenancy commencement date on or after the 4 April 2022 or completed an annual registration of an existing tenancy which became due on or after 3 August 2022 where late fees were paid will be refunded. The RTB is hard at work to operationalise this new process over the coming weeks and will provide our customers with an update once the detail is finalised via the customer service announcements on www.rtb.ie. We thank you for your continued patience.

Please note that this will not apply to any late fees which have accumulated prior to the introduction of annual registration on 4 April 2022. This also does not apply to providers of Student Specific Accommodation (SSA).

Registration Fees

The cost to register tenancies will be €40 per year for private rentals, cost rentals and Student Specific Accommodation (SSA) rentals. The yearly fee for tenancies managed by Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) will be €20 per year. There will be a fee waiver for those landlords who currently have a ‘Further Part 4’ tenancy in place. Further detail on fees can be found below.

Temporary Registration Fee Waiver

There is a temporary registration fee waiver for landlords who have registered a ‘Further Part Four’ tenancy prior to the enactment of the Annual Registration legislation on 04 April 2022. A Further Part Four tenancy is the renewal registration of a Part Four tenancy. A Part Four tenancy is any tenancy that is older than six months in duration.

Part Four or Further Part Four tenancies that began before 24 December 2016 last for a maximum of four years as long as at least one of the original tenants remains in the rented dwelling. Part Four or Further Part Four tenancies that began on or after 24 December 2016 last for a maximum of six years as long as at least one of the original tenants remains in the rented dwelling.

Landlords who have a registered Further Part Four tenancy in existence before 04 April 2022 are exempt from the annual registration fee for the remainder of the duration of that tenancy as long as at least one of the original tenants remains in the rented dwelling.

Example:

The landlord registers a new tenancy with a tenancy start date of 21 March 2016. After six months this tenancy becomes a Part Four tenancy. On 21 March 2020 there are two of the original tenants still living in the rented dwelling so this tenancy is due to be renewed and the landlord registers it on time within one month of 21 March 2020 and now this tenancy becomes a Further Part Four tenancy.

On 04 April 2022 the law changed and Annual Registration was enacted. This tenancy is now due to be annually registered each year on the anniversary of the start date and so is due for its first annual registration on 21 March 2023. No fee is due for this or any subsequent annual registrations until 21 March 2026 as long as at least one of the original tenants remains in the rented dwelling (because 21 March 2026 is six years from the start date of the Further Part Four tenancy 21 March 2020) as long as each annual registration is registered on time each year.

A Guide for Completing Your Annual Registration

Annual Registration Scenarios

Example 1: New Tenancy

A tenancy commenced on 4 July 2022. The landlord must register the tenancy by 3 August 2022 (i.e. within one month of the beginning of the tenancy) to avoid paying late fees. If the tenancy continues for the next 12 months, the landlord will be obliged to register the tenancy again as of 4 July 2023. The landlord must do so by 3 August 2023 (i.e. within one month of the anniversary of the tenancy beginning) to avoid paying late fees. The landlord must continue to register the tenancy by no later than 3 August every year for so long as the tenancy continues.

Late fees are applied each month the application to register is deemed to be late (i.e. more than one month after the tenancy began/ after the anniversary of the tenancy beginning) until the tenancy is registered.

Example 2: Existing Tenancies

A tenancy commenced on 9 September 2018. The landlord must register the tenancy as of 9 September 2022 and by 8 October 2022 (i.e. within one month of the anniversary of the tenancy beginning) to avoid paying late fees. If the tenancy continues for the next 12 months, the landlord will be obliged to register the tenancy again as of 9 September 2023. The landlord must do so by 8 October 2023 (i.e. within one month of the anniversary of the tenancy beginning) to avoid paying late fees.

The landlord must continue to register the tenancy by no later than 8 October every year for so long as the tenancy continues.

Late fees are applied each month the application to register is deemed to be late (i.e. more than one month after the anniversary of the tenancy beginning) until the tenancy is registered.

Example 3: Temporary Fee Waiver

A tenancy commenced on 1 January 2016. On 1 January 2020 it became a ‘further Part 4’ tenancy with a potential duration of six years. The landlord applied to register the ‘further Part 4’ tenancy on 15 January 2020 and paid the required fee before midnight on 3 May 2022.

Annual registration came into force on 4 April 2022. The landlord must register the tenancy again within a month of 1 January 2023 (i.e. within one month of the anniversary of the tenancy beginning). No fee is payable for this registration as long as the annual registration is completed on time.

If this tenancy continues, no registration fee will be charged until 1 January 2026, as long as each annual registration is completed on time (i.e. within one month of the anniversary of the tenancy beginning). If the tenancy is terminated by either party before the end of its term, a registration fee will be payable in respect of any replacement tenancy.

Fees for Annual Registration

Private/Student Specific Accommodation (SSA)/Cost Rental Tenancies

Standard Registration Fee - €40

Application received by the RTB within one month of the tenancy commencement date.

Additional Late Fee - €10 for every month (part thereof) that registration is late

Application received by the RTB more than one month after the tenancy commencement date.

Composite Registration Fee - €170

A reduced fee subject to a maximum of 10 tenancies in one building being registered by the same landlord at the same time and all received by the RTB within one month of the earliest tenancy commencement date.

2nd Registration or Subsequent in a 12 month period - No Fee

No fee applies to the 2nd and subsequent registration in a 12 month period in respect of the same dwelling, providing they are received within one month of the tenancy commencement date of the new tenancy.

Approved Housing Body (AHB) Tenancies

Standard Registration Fee - €20

Application received by the RTB within one month of the tenancy commencement date.

Additional Late Fee - €5 for every month (part thereof) that registration is late

Application received by the RTB more than one month after the tenancy commencement date.

Composite Registration Fee - €85

2nd Registration or Subsequent in a 12 month period - No Fee

What do I need to create an RTB Online Account?

Your Name
Date of Birth
Email Address
Phone Number
PPS Number
Home Address
CRO Number

Frequently Asked Questions

When does annual registration start?

Annual registration starts on 4 April 2022.

What is annual registration?

Annual registration is the requirement for landlords to register their tenancies every year on the anniversary of the date the tenancy began. Previously, tenancies were only required to be re-registered if a tenancy continued into a ‘Further Part 4’ tenancy.

From 4 April 2022, your tenancy will be due an annual registration on the next anniversary of the date that tenancy began.

For example, if your tenancy started on 15 August 2018, it will be due for annual registration on 15 August 2022, and every year on 15 August after that for as long as the tenancy continues.

You can make your annual registration up to one calendar month after the due date, without incurring late fees.

How can I check if my tenancy is due for annual registration?

First of all, you must have set up an account on our new online portal, launched November 2021.

Then go to the ‘Manage Registrations’ page of your RTB online account and by filtering the Registration Status column to ‘Pending Registration’ you will find the tenancies due to be registered.

If you do not see your tenancy on the Manage Registration page of your online account, you may need to link your existing tenancy.

Alternatively, please check your own records held for your tenancies. This will also assist the online process for linking existing tenancies.

What can I do to prepare for annual registration of my tenancies?

If you have not already done so, visit the RTB’s new online account system on
https://www.rtb.ie/portal and set up a new online account.

Find out more information about the RTB online accounts at https://www.rtb.ie/info-hub

You may need to link your existing tenancies to your new online account. You can follow the instructions to do this once you have set up a new account. You should do this in advance of your registration(s) being due, so your tenancies are easily available to you for annual registration, so you avoid any issues regarding being late to register, and potentially have late fees due.

Are the registration fees still the same?

No. The fee structure has changed for the private rental sector and for the Approved Housing Body sector. The standard fee for private rental tenancy registration is €40 per registration and €20 for the AHB tenancy registration.

Information on fees and late fees are on the RTB website here: https://www.rtb.ie/register-a-tenancy/registration-fees

I need to register a new tenancy, with a commencement date prior to 4 April 2022. What is the fee?

If you are registering a private rental tenancy, an AHB social housing tenancy, or a cost rental tenancy, with a tenancy commencement date before 4 April 2022, the previous fee structure will apply as follows:

€90 for a registration received within one month of the tenancy commencement date.
€90 late fee, in addition to the standard registration fee, for private and cost rental tenancies if one calendar month later than the date of the tenancy commencing.
€20 per month late fee, in addition to the standard registration fee, for AHB social tenancies, for each calendar month they are late up to a maximum of €240.

Are there any registration fee exemptions?

Yes, certain applications to register a tenancy may qualify for a temporary registration fee waiver for a period of time.

There is a temporary registration fee waiver to those landlords who have registered a Further Part 4 tenancy prior to 4 April 2022.

Tenancies that have a duration longer than six months are called ‘Part Four’ tenancies. Up to now, when such a tenancy was due to expire, landlords could renew their tenancy registration and this renewed tenancy is known as a ‘Further Part Four’ tenancy.

Landlords in these scenarios will now be exempt from having to pay an annual registration fee for the portion of the tenancy remaining in their ‘Part Four’ tenancy.

For example, if there are three years left on the Further Part Four tenancy, then the landlord will be exempt from paying an annual registration fee for those three years.

Even though there is a fee waiver in place in these circumstances, landlords are still required to make the annual registration in accordance with regulations. If the registration is late, then the standard fee and any late fees will be applied.

This fee waiver will be automatically applied when you register a tenancy online where an
application meets the required criteria. If you are filling out a paper Tenancy Registration
Application (RTB1) Form, no payment is due where an application meets the required criteria.

How do the new late fees apply?

new tenancy registrations with a tenancy commencement date on or after the 12 November 2022, and
for annual registrations of existing tenancies which became due on or after 12 November 2022.

Landlords and agents please take note of the below scenarios which may apply to your tenancy registrations:

Upcoming registrations: Any landlords/ agents who are registering a new tenancy registration with a tenancy commencement date on or after 12 November 2022 or are completing an annual registration of an existing tenancy which becomes due on or after 12 November 2022 will not be charged late fees.

Late registrations: Landlords/ agents who have yet to register a tenancy which was due for registration as a new tenancy registration with a tenancy commencement date on or after the 4 April 2022 or have yet to complete an annual registration of an existing tenancy which became due on or after 4 April 2022 up to 12 November 2022 will still be charged late fees. However, all late fees will be refunded in due course.

Tenancies already registered: Any landlords/agents who have already registered a new tenancy registration with a tenancy commencement date on or after the 4 April 2022 or completed an annual registration of an existing tenancy which became due on or after 3 August 2022 where late fees were paid will be refunded. The RTB is hard at work to operationalise this new process over the coming weeks and will provide our customers with an update once the detail is finalised via the customer service announcements on www.rtb.ie. We thank you for your continued patience.

What is the fee if I have more than one new registration in a 12-month period?

Under this change to legislation, if a landlord needs to make a second new registration on the same dwelling in a 12-month period, there is no fee for this second tenancy registration, nor any subsequent registration in that 12-month period.

If the landlord is late registering a tenancy, the standard fee and any late fees will be applied. The online registration process will calculate the any fee payable.

Does annual registration mean that I only have to inform the RTB every year about my rental properties?

If there are any changes to the existing tenancy, such as a change to rent, or a tenant, then you are legally required to update the tenancy details when they happen. You can do this online by editing the existing tenancy.

If a new tenancy is created, then it must be registered with the RTB within one calendar month of the date it begins. You must close the previous tenancy first before you register the new tenancy.

Will I still receive a letter confirming that my tenancy has been registered?

Yes, a letter will issue to all landlord/s and tenant/s listed on the tenancy, once the details of the annual registration have been confirmed, just as if you were registering a new tenancy.

Will the RTB be reminding landlords when they need to complete an annual registration?

The RTB’s new online tenancy registration system will generate reminder letters to issue to landlords initially by post. Using the online system, you can then choose to receive further notifications and communications electronically.

You can find out more information about the RTB online account system and how to do this on www.rtb.ie/portal

Why is annual registration being introduced?

The requirements to register annually were legally introduced in May 2019 under the
Residential Tenancies Act 2019.

The introduction of annual registration will:

Enable the RTB to regulate the sector more effectively.
Provide the RTB with more up to date information on rental amounts, tenancies, and the regulated rental sector, thus providing more accurate data to help inform rental policy development and implementation.
Allow the RTB to publish more detailed report on rents and rent levels for new and existing tenancies