August 2015

Toni and Marc came to Housing Rights for help when they feared that they’d lose their home.  Toni and Marc bought their home back in 2003.  Since moving in they’d had three children:  Jordan, Sam and Lily.   Catherine, one of our advisers, had to make an application for a stay when negotiating with the lender proved fruitless.

Certain decisions made by the Housing Executive can be reviewed by following a procedure laid out in the Housing Amendment Act (NI) 2011.  These include decisions on whether or not someone is a Full Duty Applicant and on whether the accommodation offered to a homeless person is reasonable.

The applicant also has a right to appeal to the county court if the review is unsuccessful, but they can only appeal on a point of law.

Our Beyond the Gate project aims to prevent homelessness amongst people leaving prison by ensuring that they have all the necessary support to aid their transition back into independent living.  Caoimhe, a support worker with Beyond the Gate discusses a recent success story.  The client’s name has been changed.

As the new university term approaches, Ursula Toner takes a look at student eligibility for housing benefit.  

Recent press reports focused on news that nearly 1,300 incidents of paramilitaries forcing people from their homes have been reported in Northern Ireland in the past three years.

Jim Fraser from Trading Standards considers the need for letting agents to provide important information about protecting deposits to tenants from a consumer rights perspective.