Another council says it wants to implement private sector rent controls - although it has no power to do so.
Belfast council this week backed a motion from the Green Party to press the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont for powers to introduce controls.
The Belfast Live news website reports that Green councillor Mal O’Hara won backing from the majority of councillors for an amendment to a council decision to accept powers from the Stormont Department for Communities Private Tenancies Act, 2022.
O’Hara is reported to have told his colleagues: “I have just read an article on Belfast perhaps becoming the epicentre of the next rent crisis. We know we are in a housing crisis after decades of inaction and failure to build social or affordable housing in the North has led us to this point.
“I am sure many members will be able to tell anecdotal stories about hugely escalating rents in their areas. About tenancies being ended and the same house going back on the private rental market for hundreds of pounds more.
“Couple that with the cost of living crisis, the real terms freeze or decrease in pay, and the challenges people are facing are part of that perfect storm.”
The Green Party has already been central to the Scottish Government’s rent freeze and subsequent rent cap, and is pressing some other councils to adopt pro-rent control policies - although councils in England do not have individual powers to unilaterally impose private sector caps.
The new Private Tenancies Act in Northern Ireland makes failure to protect a tenancy deposit a continuing offence, and obliges landlords to give their tenants a minimum notice-to-quit period. For tenancies lasting up to 12 months there must be a order to quit of no less than four weeks' written notice, for tenancies of 12 months to 10 years there must be a order to quit of no less than eight weeks' written notice, and tenancies above 10 years must receive no less than 12 weeks’ written notice.
In London and Bristol in particular, Labour council chiefs have made clear that they, too, want unilateral powers to impose private rental sector rent caps.
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We know we are in a housing crisis after decades of inaction and failure to build social or affordable housing in the North has led us to this point.
And who pray tell is responsible for that ?
We’ve been hearing various councils throughout England thinking about implementing rent controls.
The governments tax policy on landlords will result in rent increases…simple maths; if cost increase , rents increase. If they put a cap on rents so we can’t survive, this is what we call complete control or otherwise known as a police state / dictatorship.
It’s a fact this country is becoming harder and harder to do business in.
They want, they want…… that’s all we ever hear, all their whinging will just mean more sell offs and higher rents.
Warning to genuine eco warriors everywhere:
Vote Green, get Deep Red.
I find most self-describing "Greens" are hypocritical youngsters.
They live in so called energy efficient new builds from where they have to drive everywhere. Their electric cars are made with child slave labour. They buy throw away fashion and non recyclable coffee pods. They wash clothes after every wear, dry them inside and have two or more showers a day. They throw away stuff instead of repairing it and then buy more stuff with built in obsolescence. They back up all their photos, messages etc. to a cloud whose server farms cause massive damage to the planet.
Finally they vote for the Green idiots that keep the SNP in power and are now dead set on destroying the PRS in Scotland and it seems also in Northern Ireland.
Let's hope they get more sensible with age and ensure their children don't get similarly brain washed by a false Green agenda.
I would like a cap on council tax but it's not going to happen
Don't they understand all this talk of rent caps just encourages all landlords to increase rents while they still can?
Don't delay - rents up today!
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