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Northern Ireland to force private landlords to give long-term tenants seven months’ notice for eviction
Private landlords in Northern Ireland will be forced to give long-term tenants up to seven months’ notice for eviction under new government proposals.
Private landlords in Northern Ireland will be forced to give long-term tenants up to seven months’ notice for eviction under new government plans #UKhousingThe Northern Ireland Executive’s plans, which are subject to a 12-week consultation, will see so-called ‘notice to quit’ periods significantly extended.
Under the proposals, renters that have held a tenancy for more than eight years will be entitled to seven months’ notice. The current maximum is 12 weeks’ notice for a tenancy of more than 10 years.
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Tenants that have lived in a property for between three and eight years should get six months’ notice under the changes. For tenancies between 12 months and three years, the notice period will be four months.
Any tenancies under a year will be subject to an eight-week notice period.
Around 130,000 properties in Northern Ireland are currently operated for private rental. The changes are part of Northern Ireland’s Private Tenancies Act, which gained royal assent in 2022. Longer notice periods were introduced then, but the latest proposals will see them increased again.
Announcing the consultation, Gordon Lyons, Northern Ireland’s communities minister, said: “The longer notice periods will greatly increase the security of tenure for individuals and families living in the private rented sector.”
However, exemptions will apply in certain cases, including serious rent arrears, anti-social behaviour, a “relevant” criminal conviction or possession for occupation by the landlord or their immediate family.
There is no change to the length of notice that tenants must give landlords.
A statement from the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Northern Ireland said: “Everyone deserves a safe, secure home and the proposed changes to improve standards and conditions for tenants in the private rented sector are welcome. CIH NI will be responding to the consultation.”
The latest plans are part of a package of reforms aimed at improving standards and conditions for private tenants in Northern Ireland. Last year, Mr Lyons said that in addition to longer notice periods, he would also amend landlord registration regulations and explore minimum energy efficiency standards for the private rented sector.
In England, a long-sought ban on Section 21 ’no-fault’ evictions will come into place this May as part of the government’s Renters’ Rights Act.
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