Private Rented Sector

From 1 April 2013 a landlord must, by law, protect any deposit taken in connection with a private tenancy in an approved tenancy deposit scheme. For more information please see our Tenancy Deposit Schemes page.

A number of sections of the Housing (Amendment) Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 were commenced on 30 June 2011. For details on how this will affect the private rented sector please see the leaflet "Recent Changes Affecting Landlords & Tenants in the Private Rented Sector".

New legislation was introduced on 1 April 2007 which provides a new structure for the private rented sector in Northern Ireland. More details can be found on the Private Tenancies Order page.

The aim of the strategy is to encourage the development of a healthy private rented sector, capable of responding more effectively to the housing need in Northern Ireland.