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When everyone has a home

028 9024 5640: Housing & Debt Helpline for Northern Ireland

Policy & Research

Our policy work is based on the experiences of people who contact us for advice. We work on their behalf to secure positive changes to housing legislation, policy and practice in Northern Ireland. You can read more about what we are striving to achieve in the coming year by downloading our policy priorities.

Below, you will find copies of policy briefings, consultation responses and research papers that Housing Rights has produced recently.

Amendments to Clause 69 of the Welfare Reform Bill (Bedroom Tax)

Policy Briefing
March 2013

The Bill is being considered by the NI Assembly over the coming months. Housing Rights Service is particularly concerned about the negative implications of introducing under occupancy penalties commonly referred to as the bedroom tax. We are against the implementation of this provision within Clause 69 and recommend that the Assembly does not introduce it. If this is unavoidable, we have recommended some amendments in an attempt to lessen its impact.

PDF icon HRS Welfare Reform Bill Amendments March 13.pdf

Tagged In

NI Assembly, Policy, Welfare Reform

Response to NIHE Consultation on Changes to the Housing Selection Scheme

Consultation Response
January 2013

Housing Rights Service believes that the under-occupancy sanction has the potential to cause real hardship and distress to many claimants and their families.  We are worried the measure will have a disproportionate impact in Northern Ireland given the existing composition of the housing stock and high levels of under-occupation in social housing. In our opinion, the policy will do nothing to ease local housing pressures because the greatest demand is currently for smaller properties -precisely those that the ‘spare bedroom tax’ will force social tenants to try to move to.

PDF icon HRS Response to the NIHE Consultation on Changes to the Housing Selection Scheme.pdf

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Homelessness, Policy, Social Tenancies

Response to Reviewing Support for Repair and Housing in the Private Housing Sector

Consultation Response
January 2013

We are encouraged that the Department is reviewing the current system which has become largely ineffective due to the discretionary nature of the scheme and lack of investment. Any new scheme will have to take into account the financial difficulties many owners are facing and the problems many experience in accessing and servicing loans. Housing Rights Service is in general agreement with the proposition to simplify support arrangements for repair and improvement and to provide for more flexible forms of assistance which meet the particular needs of applicants.

PDF icon HRS consultation response to Reviewing Support for Repair and Improvement January 2013.pdf

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Private Tenancies, Policy, Landlord

Response to DSD Housing Strategy for Northern Ireland

Consultation Response
December 2012

Housing Rights Service has responded to the DSD consultation exercise - 'Facing the Future: A Housing Strategy for Northern Ireland'. The strategy is intended to cover a five year period from 2012-2017.

Our response examines the five themes contained in the consultation paper, namely:

  • Ensuring access to decent, affordable, sustainable homes across all tenures
  • Meeting housing needs and supporting the most vulnerable
  • Housing and welfare reform
  • Driving regeneration and sustaining communities through housing, and
  • Having correct structures in place.
PDF icon HRS DSD Housing Strategy response Dec12.pdf

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Policy, Homelessness, NI Assembly

Meeting the housing needs of vulnerable homeless people in the private rented sector in Northern Ireland

Research Paper
November 2012

Housing Rights Service has released the findings of a ground breaking research study into how the private rented sector can provide a long-term and sustainable housing solution for homeless people with multiple and complex needs. Although the study shows that no single model of housing and support is likely to be appropriate for all chronically homeless people, it nevertheless finds that the use of rented accommodation in ‘Housing First’ or ‘Housing Led’ models of housing support could provide a solution if adequate safeguards are put in place.

PDF icon Executive Summary.pdf
PDF icon Meeting the Housing Needs of Vulnerable People.pdf

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Private Tenancies, Policy, Homelessness

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