Your Free Options as an Irish Tenant — A Practical Guide

Your free options at a glance

The RTB: the central institution

The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) is the statutory body that resolves disputes between landlords and tenants. For almost any problem with your landlord that can't be resolved by conversation, the RTB is the right destination.

What the RTB can do for you

• Rule that your landlord must return your deposit
• Rule that your notice of termination is invalid and you have the right to stay
• Order your landlord to fix conditions problems
• Order repayment of excessive rent increases (above the RPZ cap)
• Award you compensation for unlawful termination, harassment, or breach of obligations

What it can't

• Help you find somewhere else to live
• Provide legal representation
• Fast-track your case in emergencies (though some urgent procedures exist)
• Override a valid notice of termination

The RTB adjudicates. It does not advise, represent, or house.

Cost: €15 to file

Filing an RTB dispute costs €15 online (or €25 by post). This is deliberately low — the process is designed to be accessible. There is a waiver procedure for tenants who genuinely cannot afford even this amount.

Threshold: the national housing charity

Threshold is the primary national charity focused on private renters. They've been doing this since 1978. They have advisors who know tenancy law, and they provide free advice by phone, email, and in person.

What Threshold does

• Advice on your rights in plain English
• Help understanding whether your notice or rent increase is lawful
• Advocacy with landlords in some cases
• Referrals to FLAC and other services

What it doesn't

Threshold does not represent you at RTB adjudications. Advice is the service; representation is not. Their advisors can help you understand your position and prepare — but you'll be the one presenting your case to the RTB (unless you separately instruct a solicitor).

How to contact them

• Phone: 1800 454 454 (Freephone, Mon–Fri)
• Web: threshold.ie
• In-person offices: Dublin, Cork, Galway

FLAC: free legal advice centres

FLAC provides free legal advice clinics around Ireland. These are staffed by volunteer solicitors.

Who qualifies

FLAC clinics are generally open to anyone, though some are linked to particular organisations (MABS offices, Citizens Information centres). They are not means-tested.

What FLAC can and can't do

FLAC clinics run for 15-minute sessions. In that time, a solicitor can give you an opinion on your situation and point you in the right direction. They cannot take your case, represent you, or prepare documents. But they can tell you whether your situation has legal merit and what your options are — which is often the most valuable information you need.

Find your nearest FLAC clinic at flac.ie.

Citizens Information: the knowledge base

Citizens Information (citizensinformation.ie) is a government-funded information service covering housing, employment, social welfare, and other areas. Their tenancy pages are comprehensive, well-maintained, and updated after legislative changes.

Best for: Understanding the law that applies to your situation — notice periods, Part 4 rights, RPZ rules, what the RTB is and how it works.

Not for: Resolving your specific dispute. Citizens Information provides information, not casework.

MABS: if the problem is money

The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (mabs.ie) is a free financial advice service. If you're falling behind on rent because of debt or financial difficulty — not because of a landlord dispute — MABS can help you think through your financial options, including negotiating with creditors and accessing social welfare entitlements.

MABS doesn't handle tenancy law. But for the subset of housing problems that are really financial problems, it's the right starting point.

Your local authority's tenancy supports

Local authorities have housing departments with information on social housing, the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS), and emergency accommodation. If your housing problem is fundamentally about affordability or emergency need, your local authority is a parallel track to the RTB.

Waiting lists for social housing are long. HAP has eligibility requirements. These are not quick fixes, but they are free, and for some situations they are the right answer.

righttostay: free digital tools for evidence and preparation

righttostay is a free tool designed specifically for Irish tenants in dispute situations.

What righttostay does

• Helps you organise your evidence (rent payment records, communications, tenancy documents)
• Checks your notice of termination against the legal requirements and flags defects
• Generates a structured evidence pack in the format the RTB expects
• Tracks your tenancy timeline so you can calculate notice periods, Part 4 rights, and RPZ calculations accurately

How it fits alongside the above resources

righttostay is not legal advice. It's not Threshold and it's not a solicitor. It's a tool that helps you be better prepared when you speak to Threshold, attend a FLAC clinic, or appear at an RTB adjudication. Better preparation produces better outcomes. That's what righttostay is for.

The honest picture: what free doesn't cover

Some situations go beyond self-help. These are them.

There are situations where free resources aren't enough:

• Complex Section 34 cases where the landlord's intentions are unclear and you need someone to investigate and present evidence
• Tribunal appeals where the first adjudication went against you and the stakes are high
• Cases involving harassment or illegal eviction where speed matters and you need professional guidance immediately
• Cases where you want to cross-examine witnesses — the RTB process allows it, but it's much easier with professional help

When you might need (and can justify) a solicitor

A solicitor becomes worth considering when:

• The amount at stake is above €3,000–5,000 (deposit, damages, compensation)
• You've already had an adjudication and you're considering a tribunal appeal
• Your landlord has a solicitor and you feel outmatched
• The legal issue is complex (Section 34 post-termination, serious conditions, illegal eviction)

You can find solicitors who work in property or tenancy law through solicitors.ie — they are members of the Law Society. We do not evaluate, rank, or recommend individual solicitors; we can forward your case details to solicitors who use Stare, at no charge to you and no referral fee.