If you are a tenant living in a rented property and you have concerns about disrepair or dampness we advise that you contact your landlord directly in the first instance to see if a resolution can be found before submitting a complaint to our housing office. However, where this is not possible or is ineffective, you should contact us to discuss it and a Housing officer will arrange to carry out an Inspection at your property.
Mandatory Inspections for Properties built before 1945
The Private Tenancies (NI) Order 2006 (Article 33) requires properties built before 1 January 1945, whose tenancies commence after 1 April 2007, to have a fitness inspection carried out, unless they already have a certificate of fitness in place or the property is exempt. A property which has recently undergone a full renovation and/or refurbishment will still require a fitness inspection if one original wall remains.
A tenant may also apply for certificate of fitness, if there is a Certificate of Fitness in effect and they are of the opinion the property they live in is no longer fit to live in.
The legislation aims to:
- Provide a better standard of accommodation within the private rented sector in Northern Ireland
- Allow landlords to maximize rent.
- Ensure protected tenants retain their security of tenure.
A property is exempt if:
- A renovation grant was paid by Northern Ireland Housing Executive within the last 10 years.
- An HMO grant was paid by the NIHE within the last 10 years.
- The dwelling is currently registered as an HMO with the NIHE
- A regulated rent certificate was issued by district council within the last 10 years.
- be structurally stable
- free from serious disrepair
- free from dampness prejudicial to the health of the occupants (if any)
- have adequate provision for lighting, heating and ventilation
- have an adequate piped supply of wholesome water
- have satisfactory facilities in the house for the preparation and cooking of food, including a sink with a satisfactory supply of hot and cold water
- have a suitably located water-closet for the exclusive use of the occupants (if any)
- have a suitably located fixed bath or shower and wash-hand basin each of which is provided with a satisfactory supply of hot and cold water, for the exclusive use of the occupants (if any) and
- have an effective system for the draining of foul, waste and surface water
An Application form for a Fitness Inspection of a pre- 1945 private rented property can be downloaded here.
Inspections for tenantsIf you are a tenant living in a rented property and have concerns that the property is in disrepair, or you suspect the property is unfit to live in, you can contact us to arrange an inspection. For more information, call us on 02871253253.
We will inspect the property, and if necessary, we might issue one or more of these notices:
A nuisance abatement notice - if we deem the disrepair is causing conditions that are bad for health, for example, through damp or dry rot.
A notice of unfitness - if we inspect a property and find that it is unfit for habitation.
A notice of disrepair - if repair works are necessary, the landlord is given a specific time for repairs to be carried out.
Inspections for Landlords
If you are a landlord and want to carry out certain repairs to your rented property, you can ask us to serve a legal notice (Statutory Nuisance Abatement Notice) on your house, which may entitle you to a NI Housing Executive Repair Scheme grant towards the costs of this work.
Statutory Nuisances are issued if we deem that the disrepair is causing conditions that are bad for health, for example, through damp or dry rot.
The NIHE Repair Scheme Grant is paid to the owner or agent of a property. It is based on the net annual valuation (NAV) of your property and is not means tested.
| Net annual value of your property | Grant available |
| Less than £60 | 100 per cent (90 per cent if a regulated rent certificate has been issued) |
| Between £60 and £130 | 75 per cent |
| Between £130 and £225 | 50 per cent |
| More than £225 | 25 per cent |
To qualify for these grants, you should contact us and arrange an inspection before you start any work. You could be disqualified from accessing the grant if any repair work has already been carried out.
During the inspection, if we're satisfied that a statutory nuisance exists, we'll serve you with a Statutory Nuisance Abatement Notice, telling you what works you need to carry out to put the problem right.
Certain works require a re-inspection before they are closed up (damp proof membranes, damp proof course, replacing drains, floor joists). You should contact us to arrange the re-inspection of the property. You should also contact Building Control if you suspect the works need building control approval.
If we inspect a property and find that it is unfit for habitation, we may issue a legal Notice of Unfitness. This notice does not entitle you to a NIHE repair grant. If the property was constructed before 1945, we will notify the rent office and the amount that you can charge for rent may be reduced until the property is made fit.
If repair works are necessary, we can also issue a Notice of Disrepair giving a specific time frame for repairs to be carried out. This does not entitle you to grant aid, unless the property is subject to a protected or statutory tenancy under the Rent Order (NI) 1978.