Section 12 of the Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 contains a power for the Department to make regulations requiring landlords to offer tenants a choice of payment methods for rent and other payments relating to their tenancy, after consultation, if required. Section 12 also places a duty on the Department to consult with district councils, persons representative of landlords, tenants and such other persons as it considers appropriate (which may include landlords and tenants).
The Department is further required to prepare a report on the consultation and lay it before the Assembly and publish it within 18 months of the Act receiving Royal Assent, 28 October 2023.
In order to comply with the legislative requirement, the Department carried out a consultation with the specified groups via survey. This report provides a summary of consultation responses.
Private Tenancies Act - Payment Options Survey - summary of results