our policy work
Preventing social exclusion - promoting housing rights
Housing Rights Service believes everyone has a right to decent, safe and affordable housing. People who are homeless, in debt or living in poor housing are at risk of becoming excluded from the social and economic life of our community. Housing Rights Service works to prevent social exclusion by actively seeking positive change to housing legislation, policy and practice in Northern Ireland. Our policy work is based on the experience of individuals and families who contact us on a daily basis for advice.
Over the past few years we have been working for positive change on a number of levels. Our overarching aim is the introduction of housing strategy for Northern Ireland. This would enable the development and delivery of more co-ordinated housing policies, which take account of broader government policies and strategies. A public debate on the future of housing policy in Northern Ireland is long overdue and in our view this needs to inform the content of any further housing legislation.
Housing Rights Service current policy priorities are:
- Preventing and alleviating homelessness
- Tackling housing debt and affordability
- Increasing the supply of social housing
- Improving private rented accomodation and how it is managed
Preventing and alleviating homelessness
Housing rights service proposals to prevent homelessness:- The inclusion of the right to adequate housing to be included in a Bill of Rights.
- Implementation of the PSI Government strategy ‘Including the Homeless’
- A statutory requirement for the Housing Executive to publish a homelessness strategy every 5 years.
- Review of temporary accommodation options
- Enhanced focus on role of independent quality housing advice in preventing and alleviating homelessness.
- A requirement for lenders and social rented landlords notify the Housing Executive where repossession action has been initiated.
tackling housing debt and affordability
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Introduction of flexible tenure options and mortgage rescue packages.
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Pre-possession action protocols for lenders and landlords.
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Increase the level of help from the Social Security Agency with mortg
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30% of net household income definition for affordability
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Stricter regulation of financial service providers, particularly sub prime.
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Increased partnership working between social housing providers, the advice sector and credit unions/other community development financial institutions.
increasing the supply of social housing
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Increased public funding for investment in new social housing.
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Application of Article 40 of the Planning (NI) Order 1991
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Bringing empty homes back into use
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Active promotion of socially mixed, shared and inclusive housing areas
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Further restrictions to the house sales scheme Lifetime / Adaptable Homes Standards to all new dwellings
Improving private rented accomodation and how it is managed
- Mandatory registration for private landlords and letting agents.
- Greater security of tenure and notice to quit periods.
- Legal protection for tenants against retaliatory eviction for enforcing their rights.
- Comprehensive accommodation standards.
- Active promotion of the rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords.
- A centrally co-ordinated rent guarantee scheme for Northern Ireland.