A Practical Guide to the Law of Private Renting in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has not been the beneficiary of many books devoted to its unique laws and legal system. There have been even fewer that discuss the private rented sector and those that have been published are long out of date as the law has developed rapidly. This book aims to fill that gap by looking at the law that touches on private residential letting in Northern Ireland covering the legislation that controls the landlord and tenant relationship as well as the external regulation enforced primarily by District Councils.Written from an external perspective this book carefully examines the law in Northern Ireland but also contrasts it with similar provisions elsewhere in the UK and with court decisions on those provisions in order to help fill the gaps in the legislation and make clearer what the likely interpretation of the more uncertain provisions would be. It also highlights the gaps that remain and gives thoughts on how those might be filled.ABOUT THE AUTHORDavid Smith is a solicitor specialising in residential property, agency, and regulatory law. He is a partner at JMW Solicitors LLP in London. He is well known for his work in the residential property and agency field, especially in property licensing and consumer law and has advised local and national governments, large and small landlords and tenants and letting and estate agents across the sector. He has worked extensively in the devolved governments as they have developed their own residential tenancy law and retains a fascination with the different approaches to residential property in different parts of the UK and internationally.CONTENTSChapter 1 - Legal System in Northern IrelandChapter 2 - Private TenanciesChapter 3 - Repairing obligations, defective premises, and fitnessChapter 4 - Leases and Licences - What Constitutes a Residential Tenancy?Chapter 5 - Tenant FeesChapter 6 - RatingChapter 7 - Safety RegulationsChapter 8 - DiscriminationChapter 9 - Energy PerformanceChapter 10 - Landlord RegistrationChapter 11 - Houses in Multiple OccupationChapter 12 - Fixed PenaltiesChapter 13 - AppealsChapter 14 - Conclusions