AQW 3861/22-27

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 30/09/2022
Answered On Date: 29/05/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities what plans she has to liaise with the Minister for the Economy, prior to the Open golf tournament in Portrush in 2025, with a view to limiting the number of local people evicted from long-term rental properties by landlords wishing to take advantage of short-term lets during the tournament.

Answer:

I am aware that short term lets can impact on the availability and affordability of properties for longer term rent by individuals and families.

I plan to meet the Minister for Infrastructure in the near future about my Housing Supply Strategy. One of the issues that I will raise with him during this discussion will be if and how Councils may be given the power to restrict the volume of short term lets via their planning responsibilities, particularly in areas of high housing need and demand.

I am also undertaking work to improve security of tenure for households in the private rented sector by introducing much longer notice to quit periods. The requirement to provide these longer notice periods should also act as a disincentive for landlords to switch between long term and short term lets in the circumstances you describe.

The Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 specifies that regulations on exceptions must be in place before these longer notice periods can come into operation. I anticipate these regulations will be ready for consultation in late Summer and, subject to a positive response, will be in place by the end of the year.