15 May 2025
New RTB Data Shows Private Landlords Continue To Exit Market – IPAV
Responding to the latest quarterly rental update published by the Residential Tenancies Board today, IPAV, the Institute of Professional Auctioneers & Valuers, said despite speculation to the contrary, today’s figures, along with previous RTB data testify to the exodus of private landlords from the market.
Pat Davitt, IPAV’s Chief Executive said his organisation was one of the first to recognise this trend emerging seven years ago. The situation has deteriorated over time, despite record high rents, and the ongoing review of the RPZ legislation is critical “to find the right solutions that will improve the supply of homes for both rental and purchase.”
Today’s figures show that landlords with just one property form the largest cohort of the rental market at 25.09% and the figure has dropped 0.4% in Q1 2025 from the previous quarter. At the same time those with 100 plus properties increased by 0.45%. This has been a steady trend in this direction since the RTB adopted its new tracking system in Q2 2023.
“The drop in private landlords is attributable to high taxes that do not apply to institutional landlords, up to 52% of rental income, and onerous regulation.
“All landlords are impacted by onerous and constantly changing regulations. In this regard the review of the RPZ legislation currently underway by the Minister for Housing is critical,” he said.
And he said while a cliff edge finish to the legislation would leave many exposed to substantial rent increases, several factors need to be considered immediately by Government to ease the transition.
“Market rent should be capable of being charged when a tenant leaves a property of their own volition,” he said pointing out that the OECD said in February that the Government should allow rents to be “freely adjusted” when tenancies end so that costs to maintain the property can be kept in line with inflation.
Mr Davitt said the 360 drop in the number of tenancies between Q4 2024 and Q1 2025 was notable.
Previous RTB figures: Prior to the RTB’s new compilation system previous RTB data found a drop of 40% in the number of private landlords between the end of 2021 and the end of 2023.
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