Housing and Residential Tenancies Act sections commence under third order

A commencement order published in Iris Oifigiúil on 29 September 2026 brings sections 48(1)(b) and (e), (3) and (5), 49, 50 and 56 of the Housing and Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 into operation with effect from 25 September 2026. The instrument, S.I. No. 497 of 2026, is the third commencement order made under the Act (No. 33 of 2026) and completes the piecemeal activation of section 48.

The Act is cited in the order as No. 33 of 2026, and its short title places it in the housing and residential tenancies field. Commencement has been staged rather than taken in a single step, with each order naming both the sections concerned and the day on which they take effect. The first two orders covered the bulk of the Act; the third deals with the remaining provisions.

A staged commencement

• S.I. No. 396 of 2026, published on 4 August 2026 — appointed 31 July 2026 for sections 1, 2, 16 and 17.
• S.I. No. 434 of 2026, published on 21 August 2026 — appointed 14 September 2026 for sections 3, 18 to 39, 41 to 47, 48(1)(a), (c) and (d) and (2) and (4), 51 to 55 and 57 to 61.
• S.I. No. 497 of 2026, published on 29 September 2026 — appointed 25 September 2026 for sections 48(1)(b) and (e), (3) and (5), 49, 50 and 56.

What the third order does

The order appoints 25 September 2026 as the day on which the listed provisions come into operation. It does not restate or amend the text of the Act; it fixes the date of operation. Because section 48(1)(a), (c) and (d) and subsections (2) and (4) were already commenced on 14 September 2026, the new instrument activates the remaining paragraphs and subsections of that section, while sections 49, 50 and 56 are commenced in full.

Related tenancy instruments

Two further instruments touching residential tenancies appeared in the same period:

• S.I. No. 435 of 2026, the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 (Prescribed Form) (No. 2) Regulations 2026, which prescribe, from 14 September 2026, fixed payment notices to be served by the Residential Tenancies Board for the purposes of sections 12, 22B, 144 and 144A of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, as amended, to enforce rent setting and tenancy registration requirements.
• S.I. No. 470 of 2026, the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 (Prescribed Form) (No. 3) Regulations 2026, published on 15 September 2026, which substitute, from 14 September 2026, Parts 2, 4, 5 and 6 of the Schedule to the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 (Prescribed Form) Regulations 2026 (S.I. 68 of 2026), prescribing documents and notices on tenancy rights and obligations and notices relating to rent setting.

The order matters to landlords and tenants because it fixes the operative date for the final tranche of the 2026 Act’s provisions, so the sections listed now have legal effect. The instrument was published in Iris Oifigiúil, Number 78, on 29 September 2026, at a price of €1.50.

Source: Iris Oifigiúil, Number 78, 29 September 2026, section I (official reference: S.I. No. 497 of 2026).