Skip to main content
N I Direct government services

Main navigation

  • Home
  • News
  • Contacts
  • Help
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Property and housing
  3. Buying, selling and renting a home
  4. Private renting

Renting a home privately

Before you rent housing from a private landlord, you should know your rights and responsibilities as a tenant. It's also important to know what the landlord is responsible for. They must register as a landlord and protect your deposit in a tenancy deposit scheme.

Landlord's responsibilities

The landlord is responsible for:

  • repairs to the structure and exterior of the property, heating and hot water systems, basins, sinks, baths and other sanitaryware
  • safety of gas and electrical appliances
  • fire safety of furniture and furnishings provided under the tenancy
  • ensuring that the property is fit for habitation
  • repairing and keeping in working order the room and water heating equipment
  • the common areas in multi-occupancy dwellings

Landlord Registration Scheme

All private landlords must register before letting a new tenancy. To check if your landlord or their property is registered, go to:

  • Search for a landlord
  • Search for a property

Protecting a tenant's deposit

The landlord must protect your deposit in a tenancy deposit scheme and give you information about the scheme.

  • Tenancy Deposit Scheme - information for tenants

Living in a house in multiple occupation

If you rent your home from a private landlord and it's a house in multiple occupation (HMO), the landlord must license the property as a HMO with the local council.

You can ask the council if your home is licensed as a HMO:

  • Local councils in Northern Ireland

Tenant's responsibilities

The tenant is responsible for:

  • paying the rent and taking  care of the property
  • bills such as gas, electricity and telephone if this was agreed with your landlord

Renting a room in the owner's home

If you rent a room in a property and the landlord also lives there, you're a licensee, not a tenant. You don't have the same rights as a tenant. The landlord can ask you to leave  but doesn't need to give you written notice to quit.

Deciding to rent privately

Before you start looking for accommodation, you should know:

  • size
  • type
  • location

of accommodation you need.

 You need to decide how much you can afford as rent. When deciding the area, think about how close this is to:

  • where you work
  • bus and train stops
  • schools and shops
  • your friends and family
  • medical care
  • where you socialise

As some owners don't advertise property to rent, tell friends or colleagues you want to rent accommodation.

Finding a home to rent

You can find private rented accommodation:

  • in local newspapers under 'property to let' columns
  • on property websites
  • on classified advertising websites
  • in shop window or notice board advertisements
  • through estate agents or letting agents
  • if properties have 'to let' signs outside

Letting agent's fees

If you use a letting agent to find you a property to rent, they might charge you certain fees. Where the fees are for work the letting agent did for your landlord, you might get these fees refunded to you by the letting agent.

Fees paid to a letting agent 

If you paid fees to a letting agent in the last six years and kept evidence of:

  • how much you paid
  • what you paid for

you can ask the letting agent to refund what you paid.

For more information about getting fees back from letting agents, go to:

  • Letting agents ordered by court to repay fees charged to tenants

Finding student accommodation

To read more about student accommodation, go to:

  • Student housing: finding somewhere to live

More useful links

  • Landlords' Association for Northern Ireland
  • Rental properties for businesses
  • Capital Gains Tax relief on your own home

More useful links

  • Student housing
  • Home and housing options
  • Safety at Home
  • Fire Prevention
  • Tax on property and rental income - HMRC website
  • Planning for buying a home - Money Advice Service website
Share this page Share on Facebook (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share on Twitter (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share by email (external link opens in a new window / tab)

Private renting

  • Different types of rented accommodation
  • Getting help with problems in private rented housing
  • Health and safety in rented accommodation
  • Housing standards in rented accommodation
  • Landlord Registration Scheme
  • Landlords with tenants claiming Universal Credit
  • Living in shared accommodation
  • Private rent and tenancies
  • Problems with your landlord - how the council can help
  • Rent control
  • Renting a home privately
  • Repairing your home: private tenants
  • Set up a direct payment of a tenant's housing costs to a landlord
  • Tenancy Deposit Scheme

Translation help

How to translate this page

Help improve this page - send your feedback

What do you want to do?
Report a problem
Which problem did you find on this page? (Tick all that apply)

Messages

You will not receive a reply. We will consider your feedback to help improve the site.

Don't include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers.

What is your question about?

What to do next

Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

Carer's Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912
Email 
dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

Call 0800 587 2750 
Email 
customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

Disability Living Allowance

Call 0800 587 0912 
Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

Employment and Support Allowance

Call 0800 587 1377

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

Personal Independence Payment

Call 0800 587 0932

If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

  • Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
  • Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
  • Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme,  email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

For queries about:

  • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
    contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
     
  • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
    contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

 

For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly.  We don't have access to information about you.

Related sites

  • gov.uk
  • nibusinessinfo.co.uk

Links to supporting information

  • Accessibility statement
  • Crown copyright
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS