Rent Arrears Waiver Letter
Write off rent arrears properly. This generates the RTB's published full waiver letter as a PDF for you and your tenant to sign — and tells you what signing it actually costs you, which the template itself does not.
Is a full waiver the right choice?
The RTB publishes three arrears templates. If the tenant can pay in full over time, don't waive. If they can pay part, waive only that part. A full waiver is the option you cannot undo.
Full waiver
Partial waiver
Deferred payment plan
Who the letter is between
List every tenant on the tenancy — one agreement covers them all.
The rented dwelling
One line per line, as registered with the RTB. It appears as an address block at the head of the letter and runs together with commas inside the sentences.
Rent and arrears
Not changing — stated so the tenant knows what to keep paying.
The exact amount outstanding. Once signed, it is gone.
Defaults to the date of the letter.
The tenant's side of the bargain.
Dates
Leave blank to sign by hand — the letter prints a blank dated line.
Have you already served a warning notice?
Summary
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21 September 2026
How to waive rent arrears in Ireland
Check a full waiver is right
If the tenant can pay over time, a payment plan keeps your money. A full waiver is the one option you cannot undo.
Enter the tenancy and the arrears
Add the landlord and every tenant on the tenancy, the dwelling, the rent, and the exact arrears being written off.
Read the warnings
We flag what signing costs you — the deposit, any warning notice already served, the tax question, and the RTB rules.
Download, sign and keep
Generate the RTB template as a PDF, print two copies, have every party sign, and keep one for at least six years.
Manage your rentals from your phone
Log rent, track expenses and keep tenancy documents to hand with the free TenantSync app for iOS and Android.
Stop arrears before they need a waiver
Create a free TenantSync account to track rent as it lands, see arrears the day they appear, chase them automatically, and keep the payment record you would need if the tenancy ever reached the RTB.
Frequently asked questions
What is a full rent arrears waiver?
A written offer from the landlord to write off rent arrears entirely, in return for the tenant paying rent in full going forward and complying with the rest of the tenancy. Signed by both parties, it is a binding contract. It has no statutory status — it is a private agreement between landlord and tenant, not an RTB filing.
Do I have to serve a rent arrears warning notice before a Notice of Termination?
Yes. Under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 (as amended) you must serve a written rent arrears warning notice giving the tenant 28 days to pay, and copy it to the RTB. If the tenant pays within those 28 days you cannot terminate on that ground. If they do not, you may then serve a 28-day Notice of Termination. The older 14-day figure was superseded by the Residential Tenancies (No. 2) Act 2021.
I already served a warning notice. What happens if I now agree a waiver?
Once the arrears are waived there is no unpaid rent, so the ground for termination disappears and the warning notice is spent. It is not automatically revoked, so state in the waiver that it is withdrawn and notify the RTB, which holds a copy of it.
If the tenant falls into arrears again, can I use the old warning notice?
No. New arrears are a new breach. You must serve a fresh 28-day rent arrears warning notice, copied to the RTB, before any Notice of Termination. A spent notice cannot be revived, and a stale one relating to different arrears will not support a valid termination.
Can I take the waived arrears out of the deposit?
No. The waiver extinguishes the debt, so there is nothing left to deduct. The deposit remains available for other lawful deductions such as damage beyond normal wear and tear, unpaid utilities, or arrears arising after the waiver date.
Does a waiver change my rent or affect future rent increases?
No. A waiver deals with past arrears only and the rent under the tenancy is unchanged. Do not use a waiver to reduce the ongoing rent: under the national rent control rules that apply from 1 March 2026, the rent under the tenancy is the base for the next permitted increase, capped at the lower of 2% or CPI. Any future increase still needs a valid rent review notice with at least 90 days notice.
There are four tenants. Should I do four agreements?
No — one agreement per tenancy, signed by every tenant. That is the RTB’s own guidance on its template. Joint tenants are jointly and severally liable for the whole rent, and at common law releasing one joint debtor can release them all. If there is a guarantor, they should sign or consent in writing too, because releasing the tenant’s debt can discharge the guarantee.
Do I have to tell the RTB about the waiver?
There is no requirement to file a waiver with the RTB. You should still tell the RTB that any warning notice copied to them is withdrawn, withdraw or settle any open RTB dispute, update your rent records, and keep the signed agreement for at least six years. Where a case is already open, settling through RTB mediation is safer because the agreed terms can be made into a binding determination order.
Is this rent arrears waiver letter generator really free?
Yes. You can generate and download the waiver letter PDF for free, with no login, and optionally have it emailed to you. A free TenantSync account lets you track rent as it arrives so you can see arrears the day they appear — before they grow into something you have to write off.
Do you store my letter or my tenant’s details?
No. The letter is built from the details you enter and is never stored. If you ask us to email the PDF, we send it to the address you give us and keep only that email address so we can follow up. You can unsubscribe at any time.