The Tenant Replacement Pack
Swap a tenant without losing the rent cap or missing an RTB deadline. Answer a few questions and download the RTB notification, a lease addendum for the incoming tenant, and a deposit transfer checklist — written against the current Irish rules.
What is a tenant replacement in Ireland?
A tenant replacement is a change in who the tenants are without the property changing hands. In Ireland it usually happens by assignment, by adding someone to an existing joint tenancy, or by sub-letting — all of which keep the same tenancy running. Only a genuinely new tenancy resets the rent and the RTB registration.
Last updated 23 August 2026 · Reflects the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 and the national rent cap (the lower of 2% or CPI) in force since March 2026 · Sourced from RTB guidance (rtb.ie)Which of these is happening?
This one answer decides everything else — whether the rent cap carries over, and what you owe the RTB.
The leaver hands over to a replacement
One tenant leaves and a new person takes their place, with your agreement.
One housemate goes, the others stay
A joint tenant leaves, the rest stay put, and someone new joins them.
The tenant stays on and sub-lets
The existing tenant keeps the tenancy and someone moves into their room.
The old tenancy ends, a new one starts
Everyone leaves, or the tenancy is formally ended and you grant a brand-new one.
Pick a situation on the left and we'll show you, right here, whether the tenancy continues, what happens to the rent, and the date the RTB needs to hear from you.
What you'll get
RTB change-of-tenant notification
Lease addendum for the incoming tenant
Deposit transfer checklist
A dated reminder before your RTB deadline
The four ways a tenant can be replaced in Ireland
Three of the four routes keep the existing tenancy alive, which is what preserves the rent cap and the Part 4 time already accrued. Only the fourth ends it.
| Route | When it applies | Tenancy continues? | Rent | What the RTB needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment | One tenant leaves and a new person takes their place, with your agreement. | Yes | Rent cap carries over | Update the registered tenancy details |
| Added to joint tenancy | A joint tenant leaves, the rest stay put, and someone new joins them. | Yes | Rent cap carries over | Update the registered tenancy details |
| Sub-letting | The existing tenant keeps the tenancy and someone moves into their room. | Yes | Rent cap carries over | Head tenancy unchanged; keep written consent on file |
| New tenancy | Everyone leaves, or the tenancy is formally ended and you grant a brand-new one. | No | Opening rent can be reset | Register the new tenancy within 30 days |
Replacing a tenant in Ireland — the questions that actually matter
Whether the tenancy continues or restarts is the difference between keeping the rent cap and losing it. These are the points landlords most often get wrong.
Can I put the rent up when one tenant is replaced?
Not simply because a tenant changed. If the existing tenancy continues — through an assignment, or by adding the incoming tenant to the same joint tenancy — the rent, the rent history and the review timing carry over. The rent can only be reviewed when the next permitted review falls due, and any increase stays within the cap. Only if the existing tenancy genuinely ends and a new one is granted is the opening rent set afresh.
Should everyone sign a new lease when someone moves in?
Generally no, and it is the most expensive mistake in a tenant swap. Signing a brand-new lease can be treated as ending the existing tenancy and starting a new one — which removes the rent protection and resets the time the continuing tenants have accrued. An addendum to the existing agreement records the change without ending anything, which is what this pack generates.
Do I have to tell the RTB when a tenant changes?
Yes. The register records the tenancy, so a change in who the tenants are needs to reach the RTB. Where the tenancy continues, that is an update to the registered details; where a genuinely new tenancy starts, it is a fresh registration within 30 days. A change that never reaches the register is hard to prove later.
Who pays the deposit back when one tenant leaves?
That is for the parties to agree, and to write down. Most commonly the incoming tenant reimburses the outgoing tenant directly and the landlord keeps holding the same deposit; alternatively the landlord refunds the leaver and collects the same amount from the newcomer. Either works — what causes disputes is the amount and the hand-over never being recorded. The checklist in this pack covers what to photograph, sign and file.
Can I refuse the replacement tenant the leaver has found?
Generally you can vet and approve who takes over — you are not obliged to accept whoever is nominated. But a refusal has to be reasonable, and it must not rest on any discriminatory ground. Where a tenant in a fixed-term tenancy proposes a suitable assignment and consent is unreasonably refused, they may be entitled to end the fixed term early.
What is the difference between assigning a tenancy and sub-letting?
An assignment transfers the tenancy: the outgoing tenant drops out entirely and the incoming tenant takes on the same rights and the same obligations. A sub-let does not transfer anything — the original tenant keeps the tenancy, stays liable to you for the rent and the condition of the property, and becomes a landlord to the person in the room. Both need your written consent, and both leave the existing tenancy running, so the rent cap applies either way.
Does replacing a tenant reset Part 4 security of tenure?
Not where the tenancy continues. Part 4 rights attach to the tenancy, so an assignment or an addition to an existing joint tenancy carries the accrued time with it — the six-year cycle keeps running from the original start date rather than restarting. Only ending the tenancy and granting a genuinely new one restarts the clock, at which point the incoming tenant needs a fresh six months of continuous occupation to acquire Part 4 rights.
What documents do I need when a tenant is replaced in Ireland?
Three, in practice: a written record of the change signed by everyone affected (an addendum to the existing agreement, not a new lease), notification of the change to the RTB so the register matches reality, and a written deposit hand-over recording who paid what to whom. This tool generates all three as PDFs from the details you enter.
Related guides
The national rent cap, the 90-day notice, and the 12-month review cycle.
How security of tenure is acquired, how long it lasts, and what carries over.
Registering and updating a tenancy — fees, documents and common mistakes.
Enter a start date, get the 30-day registration deadline and renewal date.
Manage your rentals from your phone
Log rent, track expenses and keep tenancy documents to hand with the free TenantSync app for iOS and Android.