Why Are Eviction Notices Up 35%?
Why Are Eviction Notices Up 35%?
Text: Izzy Copestake
Small landlords are leaving the market, and there are now more large corporate landlords than ever.
New figures from the RTB show eviction notices jumping by 35% compared with this time last year, as more small landlords head for the exit. In the third quarter of 2025, the RTB received 5,405 notices of termination, up from 3,995 in the same period of 2024. It’s a continuation of a trend that has been building for months: the number of landlords planning to sell has risen steadily from 2,027 at the end of 2024 to 3,307 by this summer.
Part of the backdrop is the new rental rules arriving on March 1st, 2026. From then on, all new leases will come with a six-year minimum tenancy. Once a tenant moves in, that tenancy is effectively locked in for six years, and a landlord can only end it in very limited cases—such as financial hardship or needing the home for themselves or a close family member. Large landlords will have even fewer grounds to terminate. Existing tenancies won’t be affected, but every new one created after March 2026 will fall under the new regime.
The Government insists the spike in exits isn’t just a reaction to the upcoming changes. Minister for Housing James Browne points back to earlier research, saying, “I think if you look at the research from 2023, it did indicate well over a quarter of all small landlords intended to exit the market over the next five years. So I think you’re seeing probably an element of that coming into the system.”
The RTB is more uneasy about what the numbers signal. Director Rosemary Steen notes that “at least 2,000 landlords end a tenancy with the intention to sell in every quarter, but this does not usually lead to a fall in registered tenancies. We have seen big changes in who is providing those tenancies in recent years.” Those changes are becoming clearer: large corporate landlords now hold more than 14% of the rental market, their highest share in years, while single-property landlords have slipped to just under 25%.
