Notice to quit - where are we now and where are we going?

At the outset of the pandemic, our homes featured heavily in discussions around keeping us and our families safe from the virus. Government departments in Northern Ireland quickly moved to push through various emergency legislation that reflected the unprecedented context in which we found ourselves. Housing policy was no exception.

Concerted efforts were made to multiply temporary accommodation to ensure anyone without a home could be assured of a place to go; concerns were also raised regarding overcrowded properties and the inability of individuals and families to self-isolate – a problem which would later manifest in higher Covid-19 positive case numbers. A decision was swiftly made that the Housing Executive and housing associations would halt all evictions. Most notably however, the Department for Communities (DfC), under the Private Tenancies (Coronavirus Modifications) Act (NI) 2020, temporarily extended the ‘notice to quit’ period from four to 12 weeks. Given that the private rented sector is widely recognised as the housing tenure with the least security, this was considered a much welcome move by renters wary of being left homeless in such a time of uncertainty. However, as it stands, this temporary legislation is due to come to an end in September.

So, what is a ‘notice to quit’?

Quite simply, issuing a ‘notice to quit’ to your landlord or being issued with a ‘notice to quit’ by your landlord is a notification of the intention to bring a tenancy to an end. It is broadly accepted that the current four-week notice is an insufficient timeframe for individuals and families to secure and relocate to suitable alternative accommodation. Other factors, such as registering children with a local school or familiarising yourself with a potential new locality before deciding, can take considerable time and thought. In 2017, the publication of the review of the private rented sector highlighted that 65 percent of respondents favoured an increase from four weeks to eight weeks.

However, given the potential for a changing market, eight weeks may no longer be considered ambitious enough.

In November 2020, the then interim minister Carál Ní Chuilín’s housing statement made clear that this timeframe was to undergo review, stating “my department previously consulted on extending notice to quit to eight weeks.. [w]hich would be a start, but my view is that it should be a lot longer, more like 6 months.”

We would love to hear your thoughts about this. We are carrying out research on private tenancies and ‘notice to quit’ periods on behalf of DfC – as the department seeks to amend the legislation, it is important to us that your voice is reflected in that change.

If you yourself have recently been issued a notice to quit and want to tell us more about your experience, you can do so using the following link: https://bit.ly/3rIEthR

Similarly, if you are a landlord and want to share your thoughts on this, you can do so using the link provided: https://bit.ly/3l8GFxO