All renters in Mayo now covered by Rent Pressure Zones

Before last Friday, only two of Mayo’s six local electoral area, (Castlebar and Westport) were designated as a Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ). 

Renters in Mayo’s four other local electoral areas Belmullet, Ballina, Swinford and Claremorris are now also covered by RPZs after the enactment of legislation by Minister for Housing, James Browne which applies rent controls nationally. 

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In RPZs, rent increases are capped at the level of inflation to a maximum of 2 percent for existing tenancies.

Marking the significant passing of legislation, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne said:

"Protecting renters is essential in the moves we make now towards increased supply of housing.

“I have moved swiftly to implement national rent controls, expanding the Rent Pressure Zone framework across the entire country, in advance of sweeping changes to our rental system, and a strengthening of rental rights, from March 2026.”

“Critically, this new law immediately provides all renters with the restrictions on rent increases currently found as part of rent pressure zones, preventing increases to their rents of more than 2% or inflation, whichever is lower. These changes collectively ensure that renters in Mayo, regardless of where they live in the county, now enjoy greater stability, fairer treatment, and stronger legal protections.

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“The measures we are introducing strike a fair balance, and one that provides much needed certainty for everyone.”

“We have to strike a balance between landlords, renters, and the urgent need to invigorate more supply of homes, including places to rent as well as places to buy.”

Who will police the new RPZs?

The impact this will have on the rental market in Mayo remains to be seen. 

Speaking recently to The Mayo News, Máire Heffron of Heffron Property Management in Ballina, said “I don't think anything they do is encouraging landlords into the market. I just don't see where the encouragement is for landlords.”

The backdrop to all of this is that house prices have never been higher around here and this, along with stronger tenant rights is leading to a lot of landlords leaving the market.

“I would find a lot of my properties now that, once they become vacant, they are going up on the market, and landlords are not staying in the market.”

The Ballina-based estate agent knows first-hand the delays that can be involved when dealing with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) and says, the RTB is “already backed up with dealing with cases like over holding and rent arrears and everything. How are they going to police this? Now, if the whole country is under an RPZ, they can hardly cope with the workload that they have already, so they're the only organization that is going to be dealing with that.”