Private rentals in NI?

1irishninja

We've been in our current house almost 10 years. Back then no problems finding a house to rent, now however its a nightmare. Our land lord is selling up so we have to move but there is simply damn all available. We are in Mid Ulster. Rarely anything on Propertypal and anything that does appear due to the level of interest I take it the rental price gets revised a couple of times and up'd in price. Even on gumtree under houses to rent is full of adverts for people looking a house to rent.

Anyone else have this issue? Is it as bad across NI? I see plenty of apartments/flats but with 3 kids a house is the only option.

ballyblack

with very low interest rates is buying still not an option for you?

1irishninja

ballyblack wrote: »

with very low interest rates is buying still not an option for you?

The issue is getting a mortgage, we don't have a deposit.

Old_Git

1irishninja wrote: »

We've been in our current house almost 10 years. Back then no problems finding a house to rent, now however its a nightmare. Our land lord is selling up so we have to move but there is simply damn all available. We are in Mid Ulster. Rarely anything on Propertypal and anything that does appear due to the level of interest I take it the rental price gets revised a couple of times and up'd in price. Even on gumtree under houses to rent is full of adverts for people looking a house to rent.

Anyone else have this issue? Is it as bad across NI? I see plenty of apartments/flats but with 3 kids a house is the only option.

I would say most areas are like that now .
I advertised two places in may .I had to remove the ads I had so many replies .I actually had someone knock on my door to ask about my house as the tenant had told the neighbours she was moving ,and word spread .

motorguy

Old_Git wrote: »

I would say most areas are like that now .
I advertised two places in may .I had to remove the ads I had so many replies .I actually had someone knock on my door to ask about my house as the tenant had told the neighbours she was moving ,and word spread .

My son has rented his first apartment this month. In the 1/2 day the apartment he got was advertised, he was the SEVENTH to view it. :eek:

1irishninja

How have we got to this stage where there is damn all available to rent? All we used to hear about was buy to let landlords, and first time buyers being unable to get mortgages because of them, so where are all these properties they are buying to rent?

Have to say I am very worried as to what is going to happen to us as we look on course to be homeless by Christmas. The housing executive will not do anything unless we are evicted and by being evicted we will loss our £500 deposit.

Or is there anyway of getting a mortgage without a large deposit?

motorguy

1irishninja wrote: »

How have we got to this stage where there is damn all available to rent? All we used to hear about was buy to let landlords, and first time buyers being unable to get mortgages because of them, so where are all these properties they are buying to rent?

Have to say I am very worried as to what is going to happen to us as we look on course to be homeless by Christmas. The housing executive will not do anything unless we are evicted and by being evicted we will loss our £500 deposit.

Or is there anyway of getting a mortgage without a large deposit?

Out of curiosity, what town / towns in mid Ulster are you looking at?

1irishninja

Magherafelt area

Tansy_1980

The Housing Executive will have a statutory responsibility to assess you if your landlord issues you with notice to quit the property. Since you've lived there for almost 10 years you're legally entitled to 8weeks' notice. This will increase to 12 weeks once you've been there for 10 years. If the landlord tries to evict you with less written notice he has committed an offence and the eviction notice is invalid.

However, the Housing Executive's responsibility to you will only kick in when you get into the last 4 weeks of your notice period. NIHE is only responsible if you are homeless or threatened with homelessness and to be threatened with homelessness there must be a risk that you'll lose your home within 28 days.

The 8 or 12 weeks' notice period works both ways. So, this means if you find a place you like you'll have to give your current landlord 3 months' notice of your intention to leave. He may agree to accept a shorter notice period. If he does, make sure he puts this in writing. Otherwise, he is entitled to sue you for rent to cover the full notice period.

Sometimes it's useful to list your details with agents operating in the area you want to live in. Then, if a property becomes available they can let you know before it's listed. Have a chat to agents in your town to see if they can offer this service.

You won't lose your deposit because you've been evicted. You can only lose your deposit if you owe rent, have caused damage or have left the property in an unclean condition. You'll need to make sure you have your landlord's address in case he tries to keep your deposit as the only way to get it back may be to take Small Claims Court action for which you'll need his residential address.

Mistral001

It might be worthwhile putting an advert in the local papers - I know there are several in Mid-Ulster and they seem to be widely read.

oneC

What's your budget?
Is there a reason it has to be Magherafelt? What about surrounding areas (Randalstown/Cookstown/Draperstown?)

If you are genuinely facing homelessness you need to broaden your options.
Magherafelt is a small town. Small town = small amount of rentals available.