About us
Rent Officer
From 1 April 2007, the Rent Officer for Northern Ireland is responsible for:
- Determining the status of tenancies, i.e. deciding whether or not a tenancy is a protected or statutory tenancy or subject to rent control
- Determining an appropriate rent for any tenancy which is subject to rent control
- Maintaining the public register of controlled rents
- Advising the Department on the amount of any rent increase to be applied to rent controlled tenancies
- Referring appeals to rent assessment committees
The Rent Officer is a public appointment, independent of government, with administrative support provided by employees from the Department for Social Development.
Rent Assessment Committees
Rent Assessment Committees are formed from members of the Rent Assessment Panel. The Panel is a Non Departmental Public Body whose 12 members are appointed by the Department for Social Development through open public competition.
The function of a rent assessment committee is to review the decision of the Rent Officer, at the request of the landlord or tenant, in relation to the rent determined for a rent controlled tenancy. The committee will normally carry out an inspection of the property and will also conduct a public hearing if requested.
The landlord and tenant will be advised of how to apply to a rent assessment committee when each receives notification from the Rent Officer of the level of controlled rent.