ireland estate agent

In order to comply with recent changes in local legislation our Landlords Pack enables Landlords fulfill their legal obligations. Our pack provides the following:

• An Energy Performance Certificate
• Storage of your EPC on line
• A tenancy agreement
• A Statement of Terms
• A Rent Book
• A Direct Debit Mandate

If you rent a residential property not only do you need an Energy Performance Certificate you need to be aware of new legislation that has been introduced. The implementation on 1st April 2007 of the provisions of the Private Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 means that those landlords renting out residential property have to comply with new rules.

These rules include a legal requirement to provide a Statement of Terms and a Rent Book to the tenant and obtaining a certificate of fitness from the local council if the property was built prior to 1956. It is a criminal offence for a landlord to fail to provide the Statement of Terms to a tenant within 28 days of commencement of the letting punishable on conviction by a fine of up to £2500.00

It is prudent that all landlords should protect their interests by having tenants sign a tenancy agreement to clarify the legal arrangement. 
  
This legislation provides a new structure for the private rented sector in Northern Ireland.  Some of the main features of this are:

• New tenancies are now defined according to their fitness for human habitation – an unfit tenancy is subject to rent control until it is made fit.
• District Councils will inspect tenancies for fitness and have powers to ensure that unfitness and serious disrepair are addressed.
• Controlled rents are based on a number of factors including the condition of the property, the equivalent Housing Executive rent for a similar dwelling and the general level of rents in the area.
• Restricted and regulated tenancies retain their protection.  Existing tenants have a tenancy for life but there will only be one further succession possible rather than two as applied prior to 1 April 2007.
• There will be no more protected tenancies.  Once the current tenancy ends and the property becomes vacant, the rent for any new tenancy will not be subject to control, as long as the property is fit.  As a result, whether a tenancy is furnished or unfurnished has no significance to its status.
• As well as having rent books, new tenants must be supplied with a written statement of the terms of their tenancy.  Where a tenancy agreement fails to clarify repairing obligations, the law provides default terms.

Click here to view the legislation.