Section 84 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 – Further right of Board not to deal with certain references

Residential Tenancies Act 2004 (RTA 2004) · PART 6 – Dispute Resolution › Chapter 1 – Referral of matters to Board for resolution

Revised Act prepared by the Law Reform Commission, updated to 1 March 2026. Amendments made after that date are not included.

(1)If the Board is of opinion that, in relation to a dispute referred to the Board—

(a) the dwelling, the subject of the dispute, is not a dwelling to which this Act applies,

(b) for any other reason, the dispute does not come within the Board's jurisdiction (including by reason of a failure to comply with any condition for its being referred to the Board),

(c) proceedings in any court in respect of the subject matter of the dispute, would, were they to be capable of being instituted at the date of the reference, be statute-barred, or

(d) the matter or matters concerned are trivial , frivolous or vexatious,

then the Board shall serve a notice on the party who referred the matter to it stating that it is of that opinion and, unless the party establishes, in accordance with the following subsections, that the opinion is not well founded, that it will not (subject to subsection (6)) deal with the matter.

(2)For the purposes of subsection (1), the notice referred to in that subsection shall state that the party concerned may, within a period specified in the notice, make submissions to the Board as to why the party considers the opinion of the Board is not well founded.

(3)The Board shall consider any submissions made to it by that party within the period specified in the notice concerned.

(4)Unless the Board decides that any such submissions establish that the opinion of the Board referred to in subsection (1) was not well founded, the Board shall not, subject to subsection (6), deal with the dispute referred to it; the other party or parties to the dispute shall be notified in writing of a decision made by the Board that that opinion was not well founded and shall be furnished by the Board, on request, with a copy of the foregoing submissions (or, if they were not written submissions, a written summary of them prepared by the Board).

(5)The party who referred the dispute concerned to the Board or, as the case may be, any other party to the dispute may appeal to the Circuit Court against a decision of the Board (made in consequence of the procedures under this section having been employed) not to deal with or, as appropriate, to deal with the dispute.

(6)On the hearing of such an appeal the Circuit Court may, as it thinks fit, allow the appeal and direct the Board to deal with or, as appropriate, not to deal with the dispute concerned or dismiss the appeal; an appeal under this section shall be heard by the judge of the Circuit Court for the circuit in which the tenancy or dwelling is or was situated.

(7)For the purpose of subsection (1)(c), proceedings are statute-barred if a defence under the Statute of Limitations 1957 or any other limitation enactment is available in relation to them.

Official source: revisedacts.lawreform.ie · Version: 2026-03-01 · Full text · Contents

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