Private landlords in part of the UK must give long-term tenants up to seven months’ notice for eviction under new proposals.

The Northern Ireland Executive wants renters that have held a tenancy for over eight years to receive seven months’ notice. The current maximum is 12 weeks’ notice for a tenancy of more than 10 years.

Tenants in a property for three to eight years should get six months’ notice under the changes. For tenancies between 12 months and three years, the notice period will be four months.

Tenancies of less than a year will receive an eight-week notice period.

Exemptions will apply for cases including serious rent arrears, anti-social behaviour, some criminal convictions, or the landlord or their immediate family requiring the property for permanent occupation.

There is no change proposed to the length of notice that tenants must give landlords.

The proposals are now out for formal consultation until late March.

Northern Ireland Executive Communities Minister Gordon Lyons says: “This is the next phase of the implementation of the Private Tenancies Act (NI) 2022 and the consultation builds on previous work to improve health and safety standards in private rented properties. 

“The longer notice periods will greatly increase the security of tenure for individuals and families living in the private rented sector.”

The Northern Irish private rental sector consists of some 130,000 properties.