Tenancy issues
The Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) and registered housing associations deal with different issues or queries their tenants raise.
Coronavirus (COVID-19)
An agreement is in place with all social housing landlords (Housing Executive and Housing Associations) that any social housing tenant facing difficulties paying rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic will not be evicted.
More information can be found on the Department for Communities website.
Urgent steps have been taken to put the Housing Executive rent increase, which was due on 6 April, on hold until 1 October 2020.
If you are facing eviction or are not safe where you live you can get help from the Housing Executive.
Tenancy agreement
When someone moves into their Housing Executive or housing association home, they have to sign a tenancy agreement.
The agreement is a legal contract between the tenant and their landlord and provides information on:
- a tenant’s responsibilities
- tenancy conditions such as paying rent, nuisance, harassment, damage and keeping pets
- landlord's responsibilities for repairs and maintenance
If people living at the property or visitors break the agreement, the landlord will take action and can apply for a court order which will end the tenancy.
Neighbour disputes
Many neighbourhood disagreements can be resolved by an amicable conversation without involving Housing Executive or the housing association.
Sometimes you may wish to report an incident or several incidents.
It is always sensible to try and deal with a situation before things escalate.
The Housing Executive or your housing association can help you and will take neighbourhood disputes and anti-social behaviour very seriously.
Antisocial behaviour
Antisocial behaviour describes inconsiderate and nuisance behaviour which affects the quality of life for an individual, a family or a community.
The Housing Executive, housing associations, local councils and police can take action to deal with antisocial behaviour.
As landlords, the Housing Executive and housing associations are responsible for investigating and taking appropriate action to stop antisocial behaviour affecting or caused by their tenants.
Stopping antisocial behaviour
A tenancy agreement is a legally binding document. If a tenant breaks the agreement or acts in an antisocial way, their landlord can apply to the court to evict the tenant.
The Housing Executive and housing associations work very closely with the police to reduce antisocial behaviour. They also need co-operation from tenants and leaseholders.