Practical tips

Aine, a Housing Executive tenant, contacted Housing Rights Service when she received a letter which stated that she was being pursued for a housing benefit overpayment of £19,000.

The letter said that the Housing Executive believed, based on evidence it had received from the Social Security Agency, that Aine was living with a partner but had not declared this.  

Deposit protection was introduced in Northern Ireland in 2013 with the stated intention of providing "assurances for tenants and protection for landlords helping to minimise long drawn out legal proceedings and disputes".

We’ve had a number of clients contact us recently saying that they’ve either been threatened with an illegal eviction or, in a few cases, that they have, in fact, been illegally forced out of their property by a landlord. In one case a client stated that the police were in attendance. Indeed, we have had some enquiries as to what role the police should play in an eviction.