Landlord

New legislation will alter the rating discounts available to landlords who pay rates in a lump sum. 

Article 20 and 21 of the Rates (Northern Ireland) Order 1977 allow certain landlords to avail of a discount on their annual rates bill if all rates due on their rental properties are paid in a lump sum by the end of September each year.    Landlords who wish to avail of these discounts have to create either an Article 20 or an Article 21 account with Land & Property Services. 

All landlords of properties which are rented out to tenants in Northern Ireland must register their details by the 25 February 2015.

The Department for Social Development, which is responsible for overseeing the private rented sector, is currently promoting the Landlord Registration Scheme throughout Northern Ireland. Any property owners who fail to comply with the scheme may face a fine of up to £2,500.

UPDATE: Two courts in England have now ruled that an agent's refusal to allow an applicant to view a property because the applicant was in receipt of benefits was unlawful and indirectly discriminated against the applicant on grounds of gender and discrimination.  Read more about this case on Shelter's website.

In December 2013 the Department for Social Development (DSD) published an independent research report outlining recommended changes to the current social housing allocations system.   DSD invited stakeholders to respond to the recommendations contained therein and have now release a summary of these responses.

Recommendations with high level of support

A number of the proposals in the paper were popular with respondents.  These included