If you are a private tenant in Northern Ireland, you have basic rights which you may not be aware of. You must be given a rent book, free of charge, which should contain the following information:
- if you must pay rates and how much these rates are
- all the information about your rent
- your landlords name and address
You are protected from harassment from your landlord and illegal eviction, nor are they allowed to hire anyone else to harass you. In this instance harassment counts as anything done that interferes with your rights as a tenant, such as:
- entering your premises without permission (excludes emergencies)
- engaging in threatening/aggressive behaviour
- interfering with your utilities
Your landlord also must follow the correct procedure to evict you. It’s illegal for them to try force you from a property. They must give you 12 weeks’ notice in writing. It is illegal for the landlord to change locks on the property threaten you to leave and/or remove your belongings from the property. If you do not leave by the notice period then you may be taken to court, with you liable to cover the landlords’ legal costs. After this process the landlord can ask another court to remove you from the property, the Enforcement of Judgements Office, and it’s their staff, and only their staff, who can physically remove a tenant from their home.
Your tenancy agreement will often give extra rights, so it’s worth reading through this carefully and make sure you understand it before signing. This is a legal agreement and it’s very hard to get out of a contract, so make sure your happy with the terms.
The landlord must also make sure that safety standards are met:
- the property meets the specific fitness standard
- furniture is fire resistant
- the property has a valid EPC (Energy Performance Certificate)
- gas appliances are checked every 12 months
