Yes, landlords in Ireland are legally required to have a valid BER certificate for a residential property before it is advertised for rent, and the rating must be shown in the advertisement. A small number of exemptions apply, similar to those for sales, such as certain protected structures.
Landlords letting residential property in Ireland must, in almost all cases, have a valid Building Energy Rating certificate for the dwelling before advertising it, and the BER must be stated in any advertisement, including online listings such as Daft.ie or MyHome.ie. This obligation comes from the same EU-derived regulations that apply to property sales, and it applies whether the letting is a new tenancy or a renewal advertisement for a currently vacant unit.
The BER gives prospective tenants a standardised measure of how energy-efficient the home is likely to be, covering heating costs, insulation, glazing and ventilation, and is intended to let tenants factor likely running costs into their decision. As with sales, the certificate is valid for ten years, and a landlord who already holds a valid BER from a previous letting or purchase does not need a new assessment unless the property has changed materially or the BER has expired.
Enforcement of BER obligations for rented property sits with SEAI, and non-compliance can result in fines. Landlords should also be aware that minimum BER standards are increasingly relevant to other schemes, such as certain mortgage and grant eligibility criteria, even though there is no current blanket minimum BER required simply to let a property.