Landlord? Run the numbers first.
Gross yield is a sales pitch. After vacancy, repairs, a mortgage you can’t deduct and tax at up to 52%, here’s what the property actually does for you.
Your figures YOUR FIGURE
Buy-to-let: 30% min
Check the RTB Rent Index for your area.
Sets your tax rate on rent
Running-cost assumptions+
4% ≈ two weeks a year
0 if you manage it yourself
Depends on the valuation band — check Revenue.
Projection assumptions+
Rent controls cap increases in most areas.
Year 1, line by lineCALCULATED
Capital repayments come out of after-tax money — you’re taxed on profit you never see in cash. That’s the Irish landlord trap. Your marginal rate on extra income: 47.4%. Includes the rental income relief (up to €1,000 for 2027).
Cash you need on day oneCALCULATED
If you sell after 10 yearsPROJECTION
Annual return on your cash (IRR): 6.1%.
vs. investing the same cashPROJECTION
The fund gets the same up-front cash plus any annual top-ups the property needed. Ignores deemed disposal timing (tax every 8 years), leverage risk, your time as a landlord and the fact that a fund can be sold in a day. Both are projections — neither is a promise.