Bigger and Better: The Future of Private Renting in Northern Ireland

The Private Rented Sector in Northern Ireland accounts for almost 20% of housing stock (over 125,000 properties) and is now much bigger than the social housing sector.

Once thought of as the tenure for students and young professionals, increasingly the private rented sector is accommodating growing numbers of low income and vulnerable households. In 2012/13 more than 60,000 private tenants were in receipt of Housing Benefit totalling £300m.  However, there is emerging evidence of increasing affordability problems in the sector, with more tenants struggling to meet rent shortfalls and more landlords facing repossession or holding back on repairs or improvement works.

Within this context, as part of the Housing Strategy 2012-17, Government has committed “To ensuring access to decent, affordable, sustainable homes across all tenures”. For the private rented sector, this means reviewing and improving regulation.

This one-day conference will open up debate on how the Northern Ireland private rented sector can genuinely offer a more viable and attractive longer term tenure option. It will spotlight the developments in other European countries and pinpoint the changes needed locally to create a bigger and better working private rented sector.

- See more at: http://www.housingrights.org.uk/event/bigger-and-better-future-private-renting-northern-ireland#sthash.P2FdVw7i.dpuf