Propertymark has cautioned against an amendment agreed this week to the Private Tenancies Bill, which if introduced, will see notice to quit periods in Northern Ireland increased for most tenancies.
While the Bill will elevate property standards and letting practices within the private rented sector, there are concerns that provisions outlined in the Bill may be overwhelming to implement all at once.
Proposed changes include:
- restrictions on rent increases to once every 12 months
- extending the notice to quit periods a landlord must give tenants (for tenancies over 12 months)
- setting a limit on security deposits to one month’s rent
- making it a mandatory requirement for properties in the PRS to be fitted with smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, as well as mandatory electrical checks
Daryl McIntosh, policy manager at Propertymark, said: “Yet again we see the exceptional circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic used to engineer a change to legislation that is neither based on robust evidence nor supported by the sector.
“Whilst ensuring there is adequate security of tenure for tenants, there also has to be balance with appropriate and comprehensive methods for landlords to recover their property to ensure they are not deterred from investing in the private rented sector, not exemptions hastily introduced as an afterthought.
“The Private Tenancies Bill has the potential to improve much-needed housing safety and standards but sustaining supply must also be an objective and the notice to quit arrangements have the real potential to constrain it if they are not reconsidered.”
