Services · Pack 02

RTB Acceleration Pack

Solicitor-quality RTB work at a flat fee. For when negotiation isn't on the table and the tribunal route is the right one.

The RTB process is not, by design, hostile to landlords. It is just structurally slow, evidence-hungry, and unforgiving of procedural errors. A Notice of Termination served on the wrong day, by the wrong method, with the wrong wording, gets thrown out on appeal and the clock resets. The RTB Acceleration Pack is the productised version of doing every step correctly, on a flat fee, with a single point of contact, in the time it takes a solicitor to send a fee proposal.

What changed on 1 March 2026. The Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 (No. 3 of 2026) commenced on 1 March 2026 and rewrote three things this pack has to handle correctly:

  1. Same-day RTB filing of every Notice of Termination. A NoT is invalid unless it is served on the RTB the same day it is served on the tenant. Miss the same-day filing and the notice is void on its face — the clock resets and the case starts over. This applies to every NoT served from 1 March 2026 onwards regardless of when the tenancy began.
  2. Tenancy of Minimum Duration (TMD). Every tenancy created on or after 1 March 2026 is a TMD. Once the tenant is six months in without a valid NoT, they hold a rolling six-year tenure and the grounds for ending it narrow sharply. Pre-1-March-2026 tenancies are not TMDs and continue under the previous rules.
  3. Termination grounds split by landlord size. Small landlord = three or fewer tenancies (private individuals). Large landlord = four or more (corporates, professional portfolios). Small landlords retain hardship grounds — financial distress where a sale is needed to discharge debt or prevent bankruptcy, and personal necessity where the property is required for the landlord or an immediate family member as a primary residence. Large landlords are restricted to tenant-breach or property-unsuitability grounds and lose the hardship route entirely.

We've rewritten our notice templates, evidence checklists and same-day filing workflow against the new Act. Both regimes (pre-1-March tenancies under the old rules, post-1-March TMDs under the new rules) run through the same pack at the same fixed fee. Read the Act on the Irish Statute Book →

The proposition — €2,000 fixed

When negotiation isn't going to land — because arrears are too large to absorb, the tenant is hostile or unresponsive, or the case needs a tribunal-level outcome on the public record — the RTB Acceleration Pack runs the formal route end to end. We do this for €2,000 fixed. A property-law solicitor running the same case hourly typically bills €5,000–€10,000 by close.

When this pack is right

When this pack is wrong

What's included

Initial case review60-minute call, full review of tenancy file, landlord-size determination (small / large), regime determination (pre- or post-1-March-2026 TMD)
Tenancy registration checkVerification of RTB registration; if missing, registration as part of engagement
Notice of TerminationDrafted by us against the correct regime (pre-2026 rules or post-2026 TMD rules), reviewed by partner solicitor before service
Service of noticeWe coordinate proper service (in-person + registered post + email if applicable) and same-day RTB filing as required from 1 March 2026 — both happen on the same calendar day, documented
Evidence bundleArrears ledger, tenancy agreement, registration cert, photos, communications log, witness statements where applicable; for small-landlord hardship grounds we additionally compile the financial-distress or family-necessity evidence required under the 2026 Act
RTB application filingFull application drafted and submitted
Written submissionsPre-hearing submissions tailored to the case
Adjudication advocacyOur advocate represents you at the adjudication hearing
Tribunal advocacyIf the case goes to tribunal, advocacy at tribunal — included, no extra fee
Determination follow-throughPost-determination paperwork and enforcement options briefing
Solicitor review of all documentsPartner solicitor reviews every formal document before filing
Weekly written updateEvery Monday during the active case

Process and timeline

The RTB process timeline isn't ours to control. Realistic timeline:

Engagement signed → Notice of Termination served1–2 weeks
Notice period (statutory)28 days minimum, up to 224 days for long tenancies on certain grounds
RTB application filed1 week after notice expires
RTB acknowledges + assigns adjudication date4–8 weeks
Determination order issued4–6 weeks after adjudication
Tribunal appeal (if either party appeals)+4–8 months
Court enforcement (if tenant doesn't comply)+2–4 months

So a typical clean case: 6–10 months from engagement to vacant possession + arrears award. A case that goes to tribunal and then needs court enforcement: 14–20 months. Faster than going alone (procedural errors compound delays) but not fast in absolute terms. The RTB process is what it is.

Two real public-record cases to anchor

The Tallaght overholding determination — €21,000 + €47.34/day

A landlord in Tallaght, Dublin 24, served a Notice of Termination in January 2023. The tenant did not vacate. RTB adjudication on 2 June 2023. On 16 August 2023 the RTB issued a Determination Order requiring the tenant to vacate within 28 days, pay €21,000+ in arrears, AND pay €47.34 for every day they continued to occupy after 2 June 2023 — adding €331/week to the arrears figure.

The per-diem mechanism is the underused leverage tool in Irish RTB practice. Most landlords running RTB cases without representation focus on the historic arrears figure and miss the per-diem request. We weaponise it in two ways: weekly written notice to the tenant of the running balance (most don't track it; the first reminder showing arrears jumping €331 in a week reframes the negotiation), and per-diem-inclusive figure baked into the eventual judgment-mortgage application.

Read the full case study →

€42,000 arrears + threatening messages

RTB hearing in May 2025: arrears reached €42,000 and the tenant was alleged to have sent threatening messages. Cash-for-Keys is off the table once threats enter the picture. The case becomes evidence-led, runs in parallel with a Garda referral under section 10 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997, and aims for an anti-social-behaviour determination on top of arrears.

Read the full case study →

FAQ

Why is this cheaper than a solicitor doing the same work?

Productisation. A solicitor charging hourly is pricing in case complexity uncertainty. We've productised the standard RTB-route case so we know what's involved, run it at scale, and price it flat. We're not competing with solicitors on cases that need litigation; we're handling the volume of cases that don't.

Can shelter.ie advocates appear at the RTB?

Yes. The RTB permits non-solicitor representation at adjudication and tribunal. Our advocates do this regularly. The RTB does NOT permit non-solicitor representation in the Circuit Court — if the case escalates to court enforcement, we hand off to our partner solicitor.

What about appeals?

Either party can appeal an adjudicator's determination to a tribunal within 21 days. Tribunal advocacy is included in the €2,000 fee. Tribunal determinations can be further appealed to the High Court on a point of law only — that's litigation territory, our partner solicitor handles.

Am I a "small" or "large" landlord under the 2026 Act?

The 2026 Act counts at the entity level. Small landlord = three or fewer tenancies held by the same letting entity. Large landlord = four or more. A private individual letting one or two units is a small landlord. A company holding a portfolio of four or more — or an individual whose declared tenancies cross the four-unit line — is a large landlord. The categorisation matters because small landlords retain the hardship grounds (sale to discharge debt, immediate-family use) for ending a post-1-March-2026 TMD and large landlords do not. We confirm your category in the case-review call before we draft anything.

Does the new Act apply to my tenancy?

It depends on when the tenancy started, not when you're acting now. If the tenancy was created on or after 1 March 2026, it is a Tenancy of Minimum Duration (TMD) and the new termination grounds apply. If it was created before 1 March 2026, the previous regime continues to govern grounds and notice periods. Two rules apply to everyone regardless of tenancy age, however: (1) the same-day-RTB-filing requirement for any NoT served from 1 March 2026 onwards, and (2) the new statutory NoT form. We work to whichever regime your tenancy sits under.

What happens if my Notice of Termination wasn't filed with the RTB on the same day?

Under the 2026 Act it is invalid on its face. The tenant can challenge and win on procedure alone — no merits hearing — and the entire timeline resets. If you have already served a NoT after 1 March 2026 without same-day RTB filing and the tenant has not yet challenged, get advice fast. We can usually withdraw and reissue cleanly before the procedural defect is raised, but the window is short.

The honest counterpoint

The RTB Acceleration Pack does not promise a fast outcome. It promises a correctly-run outcome. The RTB queue is what it is — at peak in 2024, average time from application to determination was over 6 months for adjudications and 14+ months for tribunals. We can prevent procedural delays. We can't shorten the RTB's own timeline. And the 2026 Act narrows what's possible at the front end: a large landlord on a post-March-2026 TMD without a tenant breach has no route through this pack at all, and we'll tell you that on the consult call rather than take the engagement.

See if RTB Acceleration fits your case.

Free 15-minute consult. We'll tell you which pack fits — or that none of them does.

Book your consult →