The Residential Rental Board (RTB) will be given the power to impose a hefty fine on landlords if they insist that students charge rent for the entire year and not just for the academic year.
The move is part of a series of measures the government is rolling out in a bid to woo younger voters ahead of the approaching academic year in September.
Plans to end mandatory 51-week tenancies were first mooted by Simon Harris when he was Higher Education Secretary.
His successor in the portfolio, Patrick O'Donovan, is accelerating legislation that will ensure student accommodation contracts are based on 41 weeks – the academic year – and not the whole year.
Landlords who exhibit 'inappropriate behaviour' and refuse to comply with the rules can be fined €15,000, costs up to €15,000 for an investigation by the RTB or a written warning.
Students were recently outraged when private accommodation providers insisted on 12-month contracts and not just for the academic year, leaving young people stuck with rent for the summer months even though they may not be living in the accommodation during that time.
The additional costs can amount to thousands of euros per year due to the extra 10 weeks of payments.
However, the government is introducing laws that will force landlords to take the length of the academic year into account. The legal changes will be implemented “as quickly as possible”, Mr O'Donovan told his Cabinet colleagues.
Students can still get a 51-week contract if they request this from the landlord.
It is understood that student accommodation landlords may need to be notified before the legal changes come into effect.
The new laws still need to be signed by the attorney general.
New design standards will also be drawn up for state-funded student accommodation, Mr O'Donovan will tell Cabinet.
The final report on design standards will be ready in November.
The government will also give new impetus to student excavations ahead of the upcoming academic year in September.
A second annual Rent a Room campaign will aim to increase the number of student beds in areas with colleges and universities. Property owners with extra bedrooms can rent them out tax-free to students and other tenants for a maximum of €14,000.
The government hopes that this new impetus will increase the supply and uptake of excavations.
The campaign runs in July and August.
The RTB has the authority to investigate landlords without complaint and to impose sanctions if necessary.
This also applies to landlords who demand too much rent paid in advance.
There are already laws that stipulate that landlords may not charge more than two months' rent in advance.