Affordability

Realities of court representation

30 June 2013

Denise Callaghan has worked as an adviser with Housing Rights Service for several years. A key member of the Preventing Possession Initiative, Denise was Northern Ireland's first Duty Court Adviser for people at risk of repossession. Here, Denise talks through her experiences advising worried homeowners.

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Affordability, Repossession

Letting fees in Northern Ireland

28 June 2013

We recently carried out an undercover survey of 40 NI based lettings agencies to find out more about the fees and charges that prospective tenants are forced to hand over before they can find rented accommodation.

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Private Tenants Forum, Private Tenancies, Affordability

Adviser: Rates liability in the private rented sector

28 June 2013

Imagine you’re a private tenant, paying rent each month and confident that you’re doing everything that’s required of you. One day you open your post to find a final demand from Land & Property Services insisting that you pay £2000+ by the end of the month or face court. It’s particularly confusing when your tenancy agreement says your rent includes rates and your landlord’s responsible for paying these to LPS.

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Private Tenancies, Practical tips, Affordability, Adviser

Adviser: Rates & housing benefit problems

28 June 2013

Last year Alison came to Housing Rights Service for help. She was being threatened with bankruptcy over rates arrears of almost £7000. I took on her case and here's what happened.

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Practical tips, Affordability, Adviser

The Hidden Costs of Private Renting in Northern Ireland - An Investigation into the Practice of Letting Charges

Research Paper

June 2013

The hidden costs of renting private accommodation in Northern Ireland have been revealed in an undercover survey carried out by Housing Rights Service. A ‘mystery shopping’ survey of 40 lettings agents across Northern Ireland found that upfront fees of as much as £100 were demanded by some agents to cover routine services such as credit checks and general administration costs. This was on top of a deposit (normally one month’s rent) and a month’s rent in advance.