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Private tenants have, for the first time, published proposals for improving rented accommodation in Northern Ireland. The Private Tenants’ Forum has produced an ‘Agenda for Action’ which sets out 8 practical ways to improve rented accommodation in Northern Ireland.
A little piece of history was made last week when, for the first time, MLAs heard directly from private tenants about their experiences of living in the private rented sector. The meeting followed on from the Committee for Social Development’s attendance at Housing Rights Service where they conducted their normal weekly business meeting.
Housing Right Service has launched a new video to help tenants make the most of living in the private rented sector. Entitled ‘The Key to Successful Renting’, it takes the form of a 3 minute video and is designed to help people find private rented accommodation and understand their rights.
Housing Rights Service is concerned about the new form of tenancy i.e. the Short Secure Tenancy (SST) which the DSD is proposing. We interpret the SST as a downgraded temporary tenancy for 6 months. After this time the SST either becomes secure again or possession is sought to bring the tenancy to an end using a largely administrative process. The court “would be required” to grant possession in such cases. In our view a system which allows for the removal of secure tenants’ rights by a largely administrative process runs contrary to the principle of natural justice and would interfere with human rights. Read our response.
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.
The Private Tenants Forum, a group of tenants in private rented accommodation who have come together to campaign for better conditions, has responded to the Department of Finance & Personnel's recent consultation on a review of rates liability in the landlord sector.
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.
