Mid and East Antrim: council urges repayment plan options for private sector rent arrears and inclusion of dog barking as example of anti-social behaviour
Mid and East Antrim councillors have approved the council’s response to a Department for Communities (DfC) consultation on draft regulations for notice to quit periods for landlords and tenants in the private rental sector.
A report presented to the council’s Neighbourhoods and Communities Committee said the minimum notice period landlords must give to tenants at present is four weeks for tenancy of less than 12 months; eight weeks for tenancy between one and ten years and 12 weeks for tenancy of ten years or more.
Councils’ environmental health departments are responsible for enforcing private tenancy legislation.
A 12-week public consultation is being held by DfC on proposed new regulations which could see the introduction of a reduced notice to quit period in certain circumstances such as “substantial” arrears of rent of more than two months, “serious” anti-social behaviour in the locality of the property; conviction of a “relevant criminal offence” or if possession of the property is sought for the landlord or landlord’s immediate family.
These could see notice periods reduced to a fortnight for cases of serious anti-social behaviour or a relevant criminal convictions; one month for rent arrears of more than two months and three months for possession by the landlord or a family member.
The council considers in the case of rent arrears, under the new proposals, landlords should be required to provide evidence they have attempted to engage with the tenant in a repayment plan.
It also considers the special case notice period for possession due to occupation by the landlord or family should be removed with the notice period in such cases reverting to the standard length determined by the duration of the tenancy.
The council said it would welcome clarification from DfC that “evidence of repeated annoyance or disturbance should suffice”. It also suggested the “nuisance” behaviour description should be changed to “disturbance” and recommended dog barking should be included in examples of anti-social behaviour.
Meanwhile, the draft Private Tenancies (Notice to Quit) Regulations Northern Ireland 2025 also propose increasing minimum notice to quit periods in “standard cases”, starting at eight weeks for tenancies of less than one year; four months, for those of one to three years; six months for three to eight years and seven months for eight years or more.
Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter