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When everyone has a home

Housing advice for Northern Ireland

Rent, rates and housing benefit

You must pay rent to your landlord in return for living in the property. If you stop paying your rent, are late with a payment or do not pay in full, your landlord may begin eviction proceedings against you. If you’re unable to afford your tenancy, it’s important that you get advice.

Paying rent for a private tenancy

Many landlords will expect that you pay rent by standing order or direct debit, while others will allow you to make payments in cash. Whichever way you pay your rent, it’s essential that you keep records of all payments and have your rent book completed.

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Problems paying rent

Almost everyone will experience difficulties paying their bills at some point. If you are worried about falling into arrears or missing a payment of rent, you should talk to your landlord about the problem. Free debt advice is available from a variety of local advice agencies.

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Housing benefits for private tenants

Private renters can get help to pay their rent. You can apply for help if you're out of work or if you are working. If you are not already getting help to pay your rent, you should claim

  • housing benefit if you are over pension age, and
  • Universal Credit if you are below pension age. 
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Rates in private tenancies

Rates are a property tax. The money raised in rates helps to pay for all types of public services. Land & Property Services (LPS) is the agency responsible for collecting rates.

The amount that you pay for rates depends on the value of the property you live in.

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Avoiding rates arrears

Get advice as soon as possible if you can't pay. The Land & Property Services have a strict procedure for recovering rates arrears. There are strict time limits. If you contact your local Land & Property Services office, you may be able to negotiate a payment plan.

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Witholding rent payments

It can be tempting to stop paying rent if you feel the property you are renting is not up to standard or the landlord is not sticking to the tenancy agreement. This is a risky procedure as your landlord may try to evict you if you stop paying rent.

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Rent increases

As a tenant you pay rent to your landlord in return for living in your home. In certain circumstances it is possible for landlords to increase the rent. This section explains when and how rent can be increased and what you can do if you disagree with the rent increase.

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Rent control in private tenancies

The Rent Officer for Northern Ireland is responsible for setting rents on rent controlled and protected tenancies. If your landlord is charging more than the Rent Officer has allowed, you could be entitled to have this money back.

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