January 2016

Plans to increase the level of tenant participation have just been published by the Department for Social Development. ‘A Tenant Participation Strategy for NI: 2015 to 2020’ sets out the actions that social landlords should take to give tenants the opportunity to have a say in the decisions that affect them.

In July 2015 Housing Rights reported on the seminal UK Supreme Court decision of Hotak and others (Appellants) v London Borough of Southwark and another (Respondents) [2015] UKSC 30.

Professor Eileen Evason’s working group has published its report on how Welfare Reform should be mitigated by the NI Executive. The group’s recommendations include the full mitigation of the “bedroom tax”, and the mitigation of the household benefits cap, for an initial period of 4 years.

From February 2016 landlords in England face financial penalties and prosecution if they rent to someone who does not have a legal right to be in the UK.  The roll out of the "right to rent checks", introduced by the Immigration Act 2014, has not yet reached Northern Ireland and local landlords can continue to do business as usual.

The last few months have seen parts of Northern Ireland deluged with rain.  An emergency meeting of Assembly ministers was called yesterday to work out an adequate response to assist those affected by floodwaters.  A total flooding fund of £1.3 million has been made available from Westminister to deal with flooding, but departments have not yet decided how this will be allocated.